European football's governing body has told FIFA that no UEFA national team will play in any FIFA competition while a plan to sell part of the World Cup to private investors remains alive. UEFA and its 55 member associations issued the statement on Thursday, two days after the plan was announced.

The vehicle is called FIFA Forward Enterprise. It would hold the commercial and operational rights to FIFA competitions, the World Cup and the Club World Cup among them. FIFA would keep majority control and sell a minority holding of about 20 per cent. The business has been valued at US$20 billion and the raise is US$4.2 billion.

“UEFA and its 55 member associations stand as one. We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA's proposal," the statement said. No European side would enter a FIFA tournament "for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety".”

The objection is to the structure rather than the price. Once outside shareholders hold a stake, UEFA said, commercial return becomes a permanent obligation and decisions stop being driven by what best serves the game. The World Cup "cannot be treated as an investment product".

Each of FIFA's 211 member associations has been offered a one-off payment of US$20 million in early 2027, with annual development funding rising from US$8 million to US$20 million across the 2027 to 2030 cycle. They have until 19 September to accept. JPMorgan is advising FIFA on the raise, and Thrive Eternal, the investment firm founded by Joshua Kushner, is expected to lead the investor group.

CONCACAF's 41 member associations rejected the proposal on Thursday, citing a lack of due process and what it called an artificially short deadline. The Asian Football Confederation criticised the level of consultation. The Confederation of African Football confirmed it had received the proposal, and its president, Patrice Motsepe, called the executive committee together to assess it.

Football Australia has asked for more information before taking a position. Professional Footballers Australia opposed the plan. Liberal senator Dave Sharma called it grotesque, and Craig Foster, the former Socceroos captain, was among those who criticised it publicly.

Not every association has rejected it. David Trunda, president of the Czech Football Association, backed the plan on the grounds that it would put money into grassroots football, and Erick Thohir, who heads the Indonesian federation, also supported it. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has described it as an opportunity but not an obligation.

The objections have run past football administration. Bernd Neuendorf, president of the German federation, called the proposal a fatal signal, and France's sports minister, Marina Ferrari, said football is not for sale. British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the World Cup was not a product.

FIFA has not withdrawn the proposal and the 19 September deadline stands. UEFA's associations have committed to staying out of FIFA competition until it is dropped, which on the current wording would leave the 2030 World Cup without a European field.