Abstract: Compared with traditional wired power transmission, flexibility and high safety factor are the advantage of the wireless power transfer (WPT), which are widely investigated and applied in different fields. But there are also problems that need to be solved urgently, such as the rapid decrease of transmission efficiency with increasing distance and low transmission efficiency. Electromagnetic metamaterial, as a novel type of artificial composite material with unique electromagnetic properties, have received extensive attention in fields such as invisible cloak, superlens, and magnetic resonance imaging. Based on the special magnetic field control ability of electromagnetic metamaterials, this paper analyzed the several common analysis and design methods of electromagnetic metamaterials, and summarized the characteristics and applicability of these methods. Then, the characteristics of electromagnetic metamaterials and WPT technology were further integrated, and the requirements of electromagnetic metamaterials in WPT field were sorted out in detail. The electromagnetic metamaterials for WPT system performance improvement related to the transmission performance improvement mechanism, improvement methods, dual-frequency electromagnetic metamaterials, and electromagnetic biology for WPT system safety regulation and other aspects were discussed in detail. Finally, the development trend and technical challenges of electromagnetic metamaterials in the field of WPT technology were addressed.