…On Wednesday, soccer’s governing body delivered Saudi Arabia the biggest prize of all: the men’s World Cup in 2034…

…human rights groups objected to the Saudi bid, saying the country’s human rights record raises risks for the thousands of migrant workers from some of the poorest parts of the earth who will likely be brought in to build the infrastructure — stadiums, airports, roads and hotels, and even a new city — to stage the tournament….

…FIFA published an evaluation of the Saudi bid, saying the country was on the path toward reforming its labor system, with changes that will reduce risk to workers engaged in the building work required for the World Cup. Amnesty International denounced that report as an attempt to “whitewash” Saudi Arabia’s “appalling” human rights record…

The Saudis had long said they wanted to use sports as a driver of tourism as part of the project to open up the country…

In the buildup to the decision, the sport minister, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, dismissed as “shallow” claims made by advocacy groups that Saudi Arabia’s sudden and enormous focus on sports was a way to distract the world from its human rights record....