United Kingdom: Shortlisted Host Cities

The United Kingdom will host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023 on behalf of Ukraine, the winners of the 2022 Contest. 

The 67th Eurovision Song Contest will take place in either Glasgow or Liverpool. Following a detailed assessment process these two cities were chosen from an initial shortlist of 7, which included Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.

Further discussions will now take place with officials from Glasgow and Liverpool and a final decision will be made within weeks. The successful Host City will be revealed in the Autumn by the BBC and the EBU, with tickets for the Live Shows expected to go on sale in the months after the Host City is confirmed.

Host City Race 2023: The Full Story

The BBC and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) announced in August 2022 that Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield had all been accepted as Shortlisted Host Cities for the Eurovision Song Contest set to take place in the United Kingdom in May 2023.

The shortlist was revealed on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, with a guest appearance from Eurovision Song Contest Executive Supervisor Martin Österdahl, declaring the Host City race ‘good to go’!

This was narrowed down to two potential Host Cities on Tuesday 27 September: Glasgow and Liverpool. Further discussions will now take place with officials from Glasgow and Liverpool and a final decision will be made within weeks.

Interest from across the United Kingdom

The BBC had expressions of interest from 20 cities, across all four nations of the United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. All applicants demonstrated how they would reflect Ukrainian culture, music and communities to mark the fact that Ukraine are the winners of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.

The 7 potential Host Cities were shortlisted based on their ability to meet a set of minimum requirements that demonstrate they have the capacity, capability and experience to host an event of this scale and complexity. Given the short period of time available until the event will be staged, the selection process was heavily weighted towards demonstrating past experience in hosting major international events, as well as being able to demonstrate credentials in hosting a celebration of contemporary music.

The Final Decision

The final decision on the winning Host City will be determined by which city or region scores highest against an agreed evaluation criteria, assessed by the BBC. 

These criteria include: 

• Having a suitable venue and sufficient space to deliver the requirements of the Eurovision Song Contest
• The commitment that can be made by a city or region to hosting the event, including the financial contribution
• The strength of the cultural offer which includes off screen local and regional activity as well as showcasing Ukrainian culture and music
• Alignment with the BBC’s strategic priorities as a public service broadcaster, such as providing value to all audiences and supporting the creative economy in the UK

Kate Phillips, BBC’s Director Unscripted Content says:

'We would like to thank all of the cities and regions that submitted bids to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. We have seven fantastic cities who we are taking through to the next round. Congratulations to Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield - it’s exciting to see such a breadth of bids going through from across the UK. We are committed to delivering a truly unique Song Contest that celebrates wonderful Ukraine and champions British music and creativity in all its diversity.'

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