[2] The competition at these Games will comprise a total of 128 taekwondo fighters coming from their respective NOCs.
Five quota places will be awarded to the top-ranked practitioners in each of the eight weight classes (four per gender) through the World Taekwondo (WT) Olympic rankings, while the highest-ranked practitioner of each weight category on merit points standing will grant one quota place each for their respective NOC through the WT Grand Slam Champions Series.
If an NOC has qualified a minimum of two male and a minimum of two female athletes through ranking, it cannot participate in the respective Continental Qualification Tournament, unless it relinquishes the places obtained through ranking.
[1] Four places have been reserved to the host nation Japan, and another four have been invited by the Tripartite Commission.
48 taekwondo fighters, 24 in each gender and the top 6 in each weight category, are eligible to compete through the WT Olympic rankings, while the rest through the five Continental Qualification Tournaments.