[1] Lei Sheng of China won the gold medal, beating Alaaeldin Abouelkassem from Egypt in the final.

France and the United States each made their 24th 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.

Next, 7 more men were selected from the world rankings based on continents: 2 from Europe, 2 from the Americas, 2 from Asia/Oceania, and 1 from Africa.

Finally, 5 spots were allocated by continental qualifying events: 2 from Europe, 1 from the Americas, 1 from Asia/Oceania, and 1 from Africa.

The foil competition consisted of a six-round single-elimination bracket with a bronze medal match between the two semifinal losers.