The event was won by Stefano Cerioni of Italy, the nation's second consecutive and seventh overall (matching France for most all-time) victory in the men's foil.

Udo Wagner earned East Germany's first medal in the event with his silver, while Aleksandr Romankov's bronze put the Soviet Union back on the podium after a one-Games absence caused by the boycott.

Also returning was Alexandr Romankov of the Soviet Union, who had won silver in 1976 and bronze in 1980 but had not competed in 1984 due to the boycott.

France and the United States each made their 18th 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 1988 tournament used a three-phase format very similar to that of 1984, though the second phase (double elimination) round expanded from 16 to 32 fencers.