According to an estimate provided by Lloyd’s of London, over £6.2 billion worth of insurance coverage has been purchased by individuals and entities in connection with the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which begins today.  Over half of that amount is for coverage for stadiums and training facilities, which reflects the vast amount of money that has been spent constructing and upgrading stadiums ($5.5 billion, according to the New York Times).  Additional coverage is for losses that could result from match delays, such as advertising money and ticket refunds.  The estimate does not include policies covering illness or injury of individual players, which can run as high as £40 million.

One World Cup-related policy sold by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has been receiving a significant amount of press coverage.  Warren Buffett recently revealed that one of his insurance companies has agreed to pay approximately $30 million to an unnamed insured if France wins the World Cup.