London has especially high stakes in the possibilities of a FIFA 2018 World Cup Event. The country as a whole would be expected to benefit from about £3 billion spent on investment and tourism.
Out of that, it is estimated that London itself would receive in the neighbourhood of £1 billion. This is according to Neale Coleman, advisor to the mayor of London. Coleman is also on the London United team, which represent the city’s interests in the FIFA bid. As of now, he says the bid is tight and there is no emerging lead.
Coleman will fly to Zurich with Mayor Johnson to b present for the bid announcement, due on Thursday.
London’s main stadium would be Wembley and it is expected that, should England win the bid, it would host the World Cup opening ceremonies, along with the first and last matches. Other facilities that would be used would be the Olympic Stadium, Arsenal’s Emirates, along with an arena in White Hart Lane.
It is predicted that nearly all of London’s club grounds would be used in some capacity by competing teams. Available facilities for training and practice would be booked solid.
The media would play a large role in the booking of accommodations, restaurants and the like. It is estimated that 20,000 strong reporters from print, television, radio, and digital mediums would headquarter themselves in London.
Add to that thousands of fans and tourists and you can begin to imagine the magnitude of a World Cup event on London and the whole of the country.