Introduction. The 2022 Qatar Football World Cup is the first World Cup since COVID-19 swept the globe, and the first to be held in the Middle East. This provides a characteristic research sample for the study of the relationship between mega-event and tourism. Among them, Chinese sports tourists, who are still under strict epidemic prevention and control policies, are also worth studying. Material and Methods. The main purpose of this paper is to study the interrelationship between the image fit and image extension formation between a major event like the World Cup and its host venue, and to explore the perceived tourism image of the host venue by sports tourism bloggers, using the event brand identity as a mediator. The study adopted a quantitative analysis model using SPSSAU as a tool and 315 Chinese sports tourism bloggers participated in the questionnaire survey. Results. The study confirms the positive effect of image fit and image extension on perceived image and further confirms the mediating role of brand identification in the model. Conclusions. Its main innovative value lies in the discussion of what constitutes the tourist's perceived image of the place where a major event is held before it is held. The study integrates theories from several disciplines and is of sufficient academic value.

World Cup, Image fit, Image extension, Brand identification, Perceived image