Russian football World Cup 2018 costs double

The cost of the 2018 football World Cup in Russia could be more than double original estimates, according to the country’s Prime Minister.

Dmitry Medvedev told his cabinet in a meeting that hosting the World Cup will now cost 660bn rubles (£13.21bn, US$20.59bn, €15.41bn) with 336bn rubles (£6.72bn, US$10.48bn, €7.84bn) coming from the federal budget. Where the remaining funding will come from has not yet been made clear.

When Russia won the bid for the 2010 World Cup, beating off competition including a joint bid from Belgium and Netherlands, England and a joint bid from Portugal and Spain, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the competition would cost 320bn rubles (£6.42bn, US$10bn, €7.8bn) to run.

The 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, another project Putin was heavily involved with securing for Russia, has seen huge cost overruns, with current estimates more than four-times the original 16.35bn rubles