The campaign to bring the 2026 World Cup to the United Kingdom is gathering pace, but the glow of footballing ambition is colliding with a sobering reality: the price tag is ballooning and the logistical hurdles are mounting. As officials from the Football Association and government ministers crisscross the globe to drum up support for a joint bid with Ireland, the hard sums of hosting the tournament are becoming harder to ignore.
For those of us who remember the promises of legacy and regeneration from London 2012, the echo is unmistakable. The budget for that Games more than doubled. Now, with the World Cup, the initial £15 billion estimate is already being questioned by infrastructure experts. The cost of building or upgrading stadiums, airports, and transport links could push the final bill far higher. The government’s own treasury figures show that public spending on major sporting events has historically overrun by an average of 40 per cent.
But for the workers and communities who will be asked to foot the bill, the question is simple: where will the money come from? In a time of stagnant wages, a cost-of-living crisis, and public services stretched to breaking point, the prospect of billions being funnelled into concrete and glass feels like a kick in the teeth. The unions have already raised concerns about the use of public funds. The TUC points out that the government’s own fiscal rules leave little room for such largesse without cuts elsewhere.
Then there are the logistics. The UK’s transport network, held together by string and hope in many regions, would need a complete overhaul to manage the influx of millions of fans. Northern rail, the bane of commuters from Manchester to Leeds, is already creaking. The promised upgrades to the TransPennine route are years behind schedule. How will a World Cup cope when a minor signal failure brings the network to a standstill?
The bid’s proponents talk of spreading matches across the UK and Ireland, a noble aim to share the economic benefit. But that means coordinating multiple cities, each with its own planning regulations, transport quirks, and local opposition. In Glasgow, the city that hosted the 2014 Commonwealth Games, the legacy of debt still lingers. Residents are wary of promises that never materialise.
And what of the workers who will build these projects? The construction industry is already crying out for skilled labour. Wages are rising, but so are the costs of materials. Builders report that they are struggling to find bricklayers and electricians for existing projects. A World Cup would suck up thousands of workers, pushing up costs for other developments and leaving local housing projects behind.
The economic case is also shaky. The government’s own impact studies for previous events show that the promised tourism boost often falls short of projections. The 2018 World Cup in Russia cost the country $13 billion, but the economic benefit was a fraction of that. The UK’s hospitality sector, still recovering from the pandemic, might see a short-term spike, but the real gains tend to go to big hotel chains and airlines, not the local chip shop or B&B.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking. FIFA will make a decision in 2024, and the UK needs to get its house in order. The bid team points to the successful hosting of the Women’s Euros in 2022 as proof of capacity. But that was a fraction of the scale. The 2026 World Cup will be the biggest in history, with 48 teams and 80 matches. The logistical puzzle is immense.
The irony is that the UK’s biggest asset might be its football culture: the packed pubs, the passionate fans, the history of the game. That can’t be costed or compromised. But the fear is that the corporate machinery of FIFA, the demands for exclusivity and luxury, will steamroller the very soul of the game that makes the bid attractive.
As the papers fill with glossy brochures and promises of a “people’s World Cup”, the real question remains: can we afford it? Not just in pounds and pence, but in the strain on our creaking infrastructure, the pressure on our public services, and the weariness of a public that has heard it all before. The bid is gaining momentum, but so are the doubts. For the sake of the fans and the future, the planners need to get the sums right.
