The event was won by Brice Guyart of France, the nation's ninth victory in the men's foil (surpassing Italy for most all-time).

Two of the eight quarterfinalists from 2000 returned: silver medalist Ralf Bißdorf of Germany and fifth-place finisher Salvatore Sanzo of Italy.

France and the United States each made their 22nd 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.

The 1996 tournament had vastly simplified the competition format into a single-elimination bracket, with a bronze medal match.

The remaining field of 32 fencers competed in a single-elimination tournament to determine the medal winners.