Update on Eurovision Song Contest host city to be announced by BBC with Glasgow on shortlist

An update about the city which will host the Eurovision Song Contest next year is expected on Tuesday.

Glasgow is the only Scottish city on the shortlist and is up against Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and Manchester which are also bidding to hold the contest next year in place of Ukraine.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday morning, presenter Sally Nugent said: “This morning, listen very carefully to what I’m saying.

“Ahead of an expected update from our BBC entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson, we’re going to be looking at the situation in Manchester.”

After taking a look at how Manchester is hoping to secure the contest, Nugent, 51, said: “As we said earlier, later on today we are expecting an update from the BBC.”

She added: “As soon as we know, you will know.”

Ukrainian entry Kalush Orchestra triumphed at the 2022 competition in Turin, Italy, but the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which produces the annual event, decided the show cannot be held in the country following Russia’s invasion.

The selected city will be crowned host of the 67th Eurovision Song Contest after the UK was given the chance to host the event for the ninth time – more than any other country – after Sam Ryder came second in the competition.

The shortlist was narrowed down from 20 UK cities who initially submitted an “expression of interest”, with applicants across all four regions demonstrating how they would reflect Ukrainian culture, music and communities.

Of the seven cities shortlisted, six are in England and one is in Scotland, with Belfast failing to make the cut for Northern Ireland.

The cities have each been scored on a set of criteria, and requirements include “a suitable venue and sufficient space to deliver the requirements of the song contest”, necessary commitment to the contest including a financial contribution, and “alignment with the BBC’s strategic priorities as a public service broadcaster”.

After making the shortlist last month, Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said: “Delivering such a unique event in such a short timescale presents a challenge, but Glasgow has an unrivalled track-record for successfully hosting major global events and we’re confident we can present a Eurovision that reflects a true celebration of Ukrainian culture.

“As the UK’s first UNESCO City of Music – a title we share with Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv – Glasgow offers one of the most immersive live music experiences in the world and international visitors regularly cite our enviable music credentials as a reason for coming here.

“Add to that our OVO Hydro, which is consistently ranked in the world’s top five entertainment arenas, and our famously warm Glaswegian welcome, and we tick all the boxes for hosting a show that the Eurovision community, and the world, will long remember.”