The 2018–19 Egypt Cup was the 87th edition of the oldest recognised football tournament in Africa. It is sponsored by WE, and known as the WE Cup for sponsorship purposes. It started with the First Preliminary Round on 12 August 2018, and concluded with the final on 8 September 2019. Egyptian Premier League side Zamalek successfully defended their title and defeated Pyramids 3–0 in the final. Teams Round and draw dates The schedule is as follows. Format Participation The Egypt Cup began with a round of 32 teams. The 18 teams of the Egyptian Premier League, along with the 14 winning teams qualified from the Fifth Preliminary Round of the 2018–19 Egypt Cup qualifying rounds. Draw The draw for the main competition was held at the Egyptian Football Association headquarters in Gezira, Cairo on 4 October 2018 and was broadcast live on ON Sport. For the first round, the participating teams were split into three pots, the first one contained the three promoted teams from the Egyptian Second Division and the fifteenth placed team in the Egyptian Premier League, the second one contained the other 14 teams of the Egyptian Premier League and the last one contained the 14 teams qualified from the Fifth Preliminary Round. The draw rules are as follow: The defending champions (Zamalek) and the Egyptian Premier League champions (Al Ahly) are placed in different paths, and can face each other only in the final. The Egyptian Premier League runners-up and third placed team (Ismaily and Al Masry) are placed in different paths, and can face each other only in the final. The three promoted teams from the Egyptian Second Division (El Gouna, Nogoom and Haras El Hodoud) alongside the fifteenth placed team in the Egyptian Premier League (Wadi Degla) are drawn against each other in the first round. Match rules Teams meet in one game per round. Matches take place for 90 minutes, with two-halves of 45 minutes. If still tied after regulation, 30 minutes of extra time will be played, consisting of two periods of 15 minutes. If the score is still level after this, the match will be decided by a penalty shoot-out. A coin toss will decide who takes the first penalty. A total of seven players are allowed to be listed on the substitute bench, with up to three substitutions being allowed during regulation. Champion qualification Usually, the winner of the Egypt