The Treasury is bracing for a new fiscal headache. The 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, is fuelling fears of a major overspend on British infrastructure and policing. Sources close to the Home Office confirm that contingency plans are being drafted for a potential £500m black hole.
The whispers are not about the tournament itself. They are about the ripple effects. Fan zones, extra policing, transport upgrades. All unfunded. All landing on a desk in Whitehall already piled high with post-Covid debt.
One senior official put it bluntly: “We are sleepwalking into another Olympics-style budget blowout.” The London 2012 Games cost £8.77bn. More than triple the original bid. The pattern is repeating. The World Cup is not even on British soil. But the costs are very much domestic.
The Home Office is particularly jittery. Security concerns are escalating. The threat level for major sporting events has been raised. Policing costs alone could top £200m. Local forces are already stretched. They are demanding central funding.
Transport for London is quietly modelling surge capacity. The hope is that most fans will watch from pubs. The fear is they won’t. A scaled-down version of the 2012 Fan Zone in Hyde Park is on the table. Price tag: £150m.
Downing Street is staying tight-lipped. But the mood in the Lobby is clear: this is a slow-burn crisis. The Chancellor is already eyeing the next Spending Review. The 2026 World Cup is a grenade waiting to go off.
The betting is that the Treasury will have to find the money. Or watch the government take a reputational hit. Either way, the taxpayer is on the hook.
As one disgruntled backbencher put it: “We are paying for a party we are not even hosting.” The backbench rebellion is already muttering. Letters are being drafted.
The game plan is simple. Blame the Home Secretary. Or the Chancellor. But the buck will stop with the Prime Minister. And with an election looming, no one wants to be seen as the minister who lost control of the World Cup costs.
