In the 2018 World Cup, Egypt was drawn with Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and the hosts, Russia. They started their first game against Uruguay, without Salah, who was injured in the UEFA Champions League final. Egypt lost 1–0, and goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy was voted man of the match. He refused the reward due to sponsorship by Budweiser.
Salah returned to the starting lineup when Egypt faced Russia. Russia led 3–0, and then Salah scored Egypt's first World Cup goal in 28 years. Egypt's third and final match was a Red Sea Derby against Saudi Arabia, also out of contention after two losses. Essam El Hadary became the oldest player in the World Cup at 45 years and 161 days.
Héctor Cúper, who was criticised due to his defensive strategies against Saudi Arabia, was sacked. The Egyptian Football Association was also criticised due to having its base in Chechnya, far from where Egypt's matches were played. The Egyptian media and the public heavily criticized EFA's management of the team.