The image heating apparatus for heating an image formed on a recording material includes a flexible sleeve member, a guide member, a regulating member having a flange portion and a sliding portion, a rotatable member, a nip portion and a plurality of ribs. The plurality of ribs are positioned in the manner the contour of the plurality of ribs is positioned inside the contour of the sliding portion of the regulating member along the longitudinal direction of the image heating apparatus. Thereby, a reduction in the durability of the flexible sleeve member can be suppressed.