Yorkshire cities miss their chance to host Eurovision 2023

Liverpool is in a run-off with Glasgow to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023.

It means Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle have missed out on the chance to stage the competition next May.

The BBC is expected to announce the winning bid “within weeks”.

Announcing the final shortlist, it said Liverpool and Glasgow had “the strongest overall offer”.

The winning location is expected to attract thousands of visitors and around 160 million TV viewers.

The decision followed official presentations by shortlisted host cities last week.

Ukraine’s entry from Kalush Orchestra, Stefania, won this year’s contest and usually the winning country hosts the following year. But it was decided by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), that next year’s contest could not be held in Ukraine due to the ongoing war with Russia.

Following the difficult decision to find an alternative home for the 2023 competition, Liverpool stepped forward and offered to stage the event in solidarity with, and in tribute to Ukraine and its people.

Phil Harrold, the chair of the BBC’s Host City Selection Committee, said: “The Eurovision Song Contest is a very complex event and Liverpool and Glasgow have the strongest overall offer – we will continue our discussions with them to determine the eventual host city.”