In 2022, Qatar became the first Arab and Muslim country to host the FIFA World Cup, marking a significant milestone for international football. However, undercurrents of Islamophobia shaped much of the discourse in Western media about the event (Sadiki, 2022). In this presentation, we analyze how Qatar’s strategic use of English and other languages in public signage and religious messaging during the World Cup not only aimed at dismantling misconceptions about Islam but also sought to emphasize universal values, such as peace, kindness, and mercy. Linguistic landscapes are active sites of identity construction and representation (Rubdy & Said, 2015). For Qatar, its Arab and Islamic identity is deeply interwoven with its national and cultural identity. While Arabic language is considered essential to Islamic identity, much less attention has been paid to the use of English for expressing Islamic values and in religious linguistic landscapes in the Gulf region (Alhaija, 2022; Alsaif & Starks, 2019, 2021). A key strategy in countering Islamophobic narratives during the World Cup involved deployment of public signage containing Islamic values, in strategic places, using English as a medium to articulate Islamic viewpoints on global issues like human rights and environmental sustainability. One example of this were murals containing hadith, a collection of Prophet Muhammad’s sayings, presented in Arabic with English translations or sometimes solely in English, erected around public places in Qatar, which were frequently visited by football fans. Another example was the presentation of monolingual English billboards and illuminated posters depicting well-known figures embodying Islamic values. By presenting Islam in languages understood by the majority of World Cup attendees and in a positive, educational manner, we show how Qatar was able to position itself as a mediator in the global conversation on Islam, challenging stereotypes through education and open dialogue.