[1] The 1976 tournament returned to a mix of pool and knockout rounds similar to that used in 1968, after the 1972 edition briefly used a pool-only format.

In each pool round, the fencers competed in a round-robin.

Bouts in the round-robin pools were to 5 touches; bouts in the double-elimination round were to 8 touches.

Repechages were not used in the first three rounds, but were used to determine medalists if necessary in the final.

The top two fencers tied at 4–1, requiring a barrage for the gold and silver medals.