Bristol told spend £17m on 2018 World Cup, and get £150m back

The cost of hosting 2018 World Cup football in Bristol could be as much as £17million – but that would be eclipsed almost 10-fold by the return to the local economy.

The cards are finally on the table for the costs and benefits of Bristol's bid to bring the most-watched tournament in the world to the West Country for the first time.

And the figures are staggering.

It is estimated that visitors will spend more than £150 million in Bristol during the World Cup, according to an independent economic forecast carried out for the Football Association.

More than two million visitors are expected and thousands of jobs will be created if the World Cup comes to town, according to latest numbers released by Bristol City Council.

Tomorrow, the Bristol bid team will make public their full report to the council's decision-makers, stating the case for bringing the stars of world football and the circus that follows them to this city.

The costs may pale into insignificance by comparison to the estimated benefits but they are mostly borne directly by the council, whereas the benefit will be spread far and wide across the region.

The FA was unable to provide a breakdown of how it arrived at a figure of £150 million, which is predicted will flood the local economy if Bristol was to become a host city.

Deputy Council Leader Simon Cook said: "We have though always said that we need to be prudent in considering the costs that would come with bidding for, and if successful, hosting matches. This is all the more true in tough economic times.

"On November 24 we will debate the benefits, the costs and the risks openly, and in public before deciding whether to submit our bid to the FA two days later."

If chosen as a candidate host city on December 16 as part of England's bid, Bristol City Council must pay a non-refundable £250,000 towards the marketing costs of England's campaign. The bid team has confirmed the £17 million figure includes £2 million transport costs, laying on the buses, road signs, stewards, and parking arrangements to ensure fans can get from city centre to the proposed new stadium in Ashton Vale or to and from the fan fest sites in Ashton Court, Eastville Park and Weston-super-Mare.

Marketing requires another £2 million. Project management, including legal and financial advice on the complex contracts with FIFA which are governed by Swiss law due to FIFA's base in Zurich, and all aspects of preparation in the lead up to the tournament will attract another £2million. Fan fests would cost £3million and the additional seating at the Ashton Vale stadium, £8 million, to take the ground up to the required capacity of 44,000

Stephen Wray, who is leading the bid team, told the Evening Post: "There are six days during the 2018 tournament when there will be no matches. We could stage major music events and charge as FIFA regulations on sponsorship etc lapse on those days."

If promoted to the Premier League before 2018, it is possible Bristol City will pay for the additional seating themselves.

To date, the council has spent just under £100,000 preparing the bid.