Abstract: Based on ritual communication theory, the paper analyzes the relationship between World Cup Qualification and national identification construction. It is proposed that the ritual communication of big sports events is composed of two kinds of rituals and two communication fields. The function of ritual communication in national identification construction includes: the organization and arrangement of on-the-spot rituals embody national awareness; symbolic tokens convey national meaning; narrative strategy of media sparks national imagination. The study suggests that in addition to national identification construction, the ritual communication of World Cup Qualification forms the cultural structure system of site-medium-mimesis-meaning-audience. To be exact, the mythical symbol system of national identification is first constructed on the site of World Cup Qualifications rituals, then it enters the field of ritualized communication under the effect of a set of "view and witness layers", and is processed by the media organization through mimetic environment and coding strategies. After that, it conveys the symbols of national identification to the audience involved in the media rituals. Eventually the audience realizes the spiritual imagery of an "imagined community" by accessing to the collective memory.

Key words: World Cup Qualification, ritual communication, national identification, imagined community