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UEFA called the World Cup "one of football's greatest sporting legacies" and warned that "no part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors."
Concacaf, which hosted the 2026 World Cup, also rejected the proposals, aligning with UEFA's stance.
FIFA responded by promising to continue with the plan, denying any sale of football itself and blaming media reports for disrupting consultations.
FIFA intends to create a commercial subsidiary, FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), to manage its major events. It plans to invite third parties to make minority, non-controlling investments.
A document from investment bank JP Morgan outlines plans for expanded tournaments with increased payouts per member association by 2035-2039.
It also mentions efforts to attract top talent with incentive-driven compensation.
The document highlights the World Cup as the most widely viewed sporting event but describes FIFA as "under-monetised."
It does not mention the women's game.
If approved, the proposed investor group for FFE is expected to be led by Thrive Eternal, a venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner.
Historically, boycotts and withdrawals from the World Cup have occurred for political and sporting reasons.
However, UEFA's current threat to boycott over these proposals marks a rare stance by a continental governing body.
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Confederations in South America, Africa, and Oceania have yet to publicly comment or are planning to discuss the proposals in upcoming meetings.
