Encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV) is a non-enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA virus that belongs to the family Picornaviridae and the genus Cardiovirus. EMCV has the ability to infect various mammals, such as mice, pigs, and cattle. In addition, humans are susceptible to EMCV infection, and the seropositivity rate of relevant antibodies in healthy populations is steadily increasing, which poses a potential risk of epidemics. The initial step of viral infection in cells involves recognition and attachment to cell surface receptors, followed by endocytosis into the cells. Subsequently, viral proteins interact with host proteins within the cells to promote their own replication. With the progress made in protein-protein interaction studies and the development of high-throughput sequencing technologies, multiple host proteins that interact with EMCV have been identified. This article summarizes the host proteins that interact with EMCV during infection, explores the mechanisms by which these proteins facilitate or inhibit viral invasion, discusses the latest progress in EMCV-induced endocytosis and intracellular signaling, hoping to provide reference for better elucidating EMCV receptor proteins, understanding viral infection and replication mechanisms, studying virus-host interactions and tissue tropism, and developing novel targeted antiviral drugs and prevention strategies.