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Saudi Arabia is set to host World Cup 2034 after Australia chose not to bid, with Amnesty International demanding human rights commitments if they are confirmed.

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia submitted to FIFA its official intention to host the men’s event after football’s governing body restricted the process to countries from Oceania and Asia.

An Australian bid was seen as the only serious potential challenger to Saudi Arabia.

But in a statement – hours before FIFA’s deadline for declarations of interest on Tuesday – Football Australia said it had “explored the opportunity” of a bid but had decided against it.

“Having taken all factors into consideration, we have reached the conclusion not to do so for the 2034 competition,” it said.

“Football Australia is ambitious to bring more major tournaments to our shores. We believe we are in a strong position to host the Women’s Asian Cup in 2026 and then welcome the greatest teams in world football for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup.”

It added hosting those events, in between the 2023 Women’s World Cup and 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, would complete a “truly golden decade for Australian football”.

Also on Tuesday, Amnesty International called for “human rights commitments” to be agreed with potential hosts before any final decision was made.

Steve Cockburn, the charity’s head of economic and social justice, said: “FIFA must now make clear how it expects hosts to comply with its human rights policies. It must also be prepared to halt the bidding process if serious human rights risks are not credibly addressed.

“The best chance for FIFA to obtain binding guarantees to protect workers’ rights, ensure freedom of expression and prevent discrimination linked to the World Cup is during the host selection process – not after the hosts have been confirmed and tournament preparation has begun.”