Eurovision 2023 narrows down UK host city to two locations
Five of the original seven shortlisted cities have been knocked out of the running.
With Eurovision officially coming to the UK next year, it's been revealed that the competition will be hosted in one of two cities: Glasgow or Liverpool.
The shortlist of potential host cities was revealed in August and was then made up of seven locations, five of which - Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield - have now been knocked out of the running.
In a statement, Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor for the Eurovision Song Contest, said: "The EBU (European Broadcasting Union) would like to warmly thank all the seven British cities that put so much effort and enthusiasm into their bids to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine. We very much appreciate their cooperation and the quality and creativity of all the bids received.
"The Eurovision Song Contest is the most complex TV production in the world with very specific logistical requirements to accommodate around 40 delegations and thousands of crew, volunteers, press and fans."
Österdahl also added that the union is "confident our final two cities are the best placed to meet this challenge" and said he looks forward to "continuing our discussions to choose the one which will stage the world’s largest music event next May".
It was confirmed that the UK would host next year's competition in July of this year, as while it is usually held in the country of the previous competition's winners, Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine meant this will not be possible.
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As the UK's Sam Ryder was last year's runner-up, the country was chosen as host in Ukraine's stead. The final decision as to which city will host the competition will be decided by the BBC in conjunction with the EBU.
If the event was to be held in Glasgow, it would take place at the 14,300 capacity OVO Hydro venue, while if it was in Liverpool, it would be held at the 11,000 capacity dockside M&S Bank Arena.
The 2022 Eurovision Song Contest aired on the BBC from Tuesday 10th May to Saturday 14th May – listen to all of this year's Eurovision songs on TIDAL, while the full album of tracks is available on CD and vinyl now.
You can also check out the full list of Eurovision winners and how many times the UK has won Eurovision here. If you're looking for something to watch tonight, check out our TV Guide.
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