In its gear-up for hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Qatar launched a massive public art program, including the installation of forty statues in public spaces. Qatar Creates, an organization initiated in 2019 by the state body Qatar Museums to celebrate the inauguration of the National Museum of Qatar, was transformed into year-long lineup of exhibitions and events leading up to and in conjunction with the World Cup. This paper analyzes the immense state-funded cultural programming designed in tandem with the international sporting event, looking specifically at representations of labor and nationalism and the occupation of Palestine. Sites of analysis include the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art exhibitions of Qatari-American artist, Sophia al-Maria and Palestinian artist, Taysir Batniji. Sophia al-Maria’s exhibit, INVISIBLE LABORS daydream therapy, takes up questions of work, exploitation, and creativity as channeled through Qatar’s histories of labor and migration. The paper juxtaposes al-Maria’s work with the soccer-themed installation, Come Together, by Korean artist Choi Jeong Hwa, installed on the grounds of Doha’s Education City. Commissioned by the state-run Qatar Foundation, the statue was billed as a celebration of the workers who built the stadiums. Batniji’s exhibit, No Condition is Permanent, takes up matters of exile, displacement, and labor, in a series of installation, video, and photography. Finally, this paper explores the connections between the above artists and exhibits and the Katara Cultural Center exhibition, Labour of Love, which traces the history of Palestinian embroidery, tatreez, from its roots through its adoption as a political symbol of Palestinian liberation; a narration of occupation and revolution; an export signifying national heritage and solidarity throughout diaspora; and its commodification and global circulation. Through this series of juxtapositions and analysis, this paper seeks to address the relationship between Qatar’s state-funded cultural programming, its development as an arts tourist destination, and the World Cup. By looking at specific installations and exhibitions promoted in association with the World Cup this paper takes up two issues that became central to the media coverage surrounding it – migrant labor conditions and expressions of solidarity with Palestine. It speaks to the panel’s overarching questions about biased international media coverage of Qatar’s suitability as a World Cup host, and the transnational solidarities that emerged throughout the games. It does so by specifically looking at artists who explore labor and circulation, whether through embroidery, manufacturing, or construction, in conjunction with the games.