Hosting World Cup games could be worth £200m to Liverpool

HOSTING World Cup matches could be worth as much as £200m to Liverpool's economy, according to experts working on England's bid to hold the tournament in 2018.The final touches are being put to Liverpool's bid to be a host city, with the last paperwork to be submitted to the FA on November 26.But the city will have to spend between £10m and £15m to host World Cup matches, although it is hoped that up to £5m could be raised through sponsorship.The use of lottery funding is also been looked at to help shoulder the cost.The FA, Everton FC and Liverpool FC would also be expected to put money in.The city's bid is based on two new stadiums for Liverpool and Everton, although a fallback option of using Anfield is also part of the proposal.Officials believe Liverpool is well-placed because many other bid cities also need to build new stadiums.A council report said: 'Many do not have Liverpool's extensive experience of hosting major football and other outdoor events.'

Source: Liverpool_Echo