The score for each arrow is determined by how close to the center of the target it hits, with a score of 10 for hitting directly in the center, down to 0 points if the target is missed entirely or the archer fails to shoot within the time limit of 40 seconds per arrow.

The resulting score is used to seed the archers into a single elimination bracket.

Each National Olympic Committee (NOC) can have up to a maximum of six athletes, three per gender.

NOC's with three athletes of the same gender automatically qualify for the team competition.

The NOC's, in turn, decide which of the athletes who have achieved the MQS (Minimum Qualification Score) they select.

The top 8 nations per gender (apart from China) in the team competition qualified with 3 athletes for the Olympics.

Three remaining spots per gender will be allocated by a commission of IOC and FITA members to nations who have submitted athletes but did not yet qualify.