The event was won by Mauro Numa of Italy, the nation's sixth victory in the men's foil (behind only France with seven).

Two of the six finalists from 1980 returned: silver medalist Pascal Jolyot of France and sixth-place finisher Petru Kuki of Romania.

In the absence of the Soviets, Poles, and Hungarians, the French, Italian, and West German teams were expected to dominate.

[2] Bolivia, the People's Republic of China, Chinese Taipei, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the Virgin Islands each made their debut in the men's foil.

France and the United States each made their 17th appearance, tied for most of any nation; France had missed only the 1904 (with fencers not traveling to St. Louis) and the 1912 (boycotted due to a dispute over rules) foil competitions, while the United States had missed the inaugural 1896 competition and boycotted the 1980 Games altogether.