Wrestlers from the United States have taken part in most of the major men's freestyle wrestling competitions over the years, in particular the Olympic Games and World Wrestling Championships. Men's freestyle wrestling competition at the Olympics was first held in 1904. FILA (now known as United World Wrestling) began holding World Championships in men's freestyle in 1951.
During Olympic years there is only six weight classes contested, with the World Championships featuring ten weight classes since 2018. The World Championships contest the six Olympic, along with four non-Olympic weight classes. The United States did not send wrestlers to the championships in 1951, 1957, 1959, 1980, and 2002. No official team standings are kept for the Olympics. Some team finishes are approximate.