This case report describes a rare case of cervical necrotizing fasciitis (CNF) of the nasopharynx. The patient presented with intractable chronic suppurative otitis media and underwent radiological examination including CT, MRI, and PET/CT. All of the images misdiagnosed this condition as nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Finally, the patient underwent a nasopharyngeal mass biopsy and CNF was diagnosed. A retrospective analysis of the radiological scans was performed and the causes of the misdiagnosis were evaluated. The CT, MRI, and PET/CT characteristics and key features for the early diagnosis of CNF were summarized. Our findings may contribute to current knowledge of the precise diagnosis of CNF.