The United Kingdom will host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023 on behalf of 2022 winner Ukraine
The UK will host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023 after organisers decided it could not be held in Ukraine due to the ongoing Russian war.
Ukraine won the competition earlier this year
Under normal circumstances, winning the contest means your home country hosts the competition the following year.
But with Ukraine in a state of war, organisers said Ukraine would not be able to ensure a safe venue or event.
The United Kingdom, which was the runner up – will instead host the event.
UK’s 2022 Eurovision contestant Sam Ryder tweeted his solidarity with Ukraine following the announcement.
Just like each year’s winner, Ukraine will automatically qualify for the Grand Final in 2023, instead of having to go through several qualifying rounds.
The “Big five” – UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain automatically qualify for the Grand Final every year – as they are the nations that contribute the largest amount of funds to the competition.
Last week President @ZelenskyyUa and I agreed that wherever Eurovision 2023 is held, it must celebrate the country and people of Ukraine.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 25, 2022
As we are now hosts, the UK will honour that pledge directly – and put on a fantastic contest on behalf of our Ukrainian friends.
UK cities will now bid to host the event.
Glasgow in Scotland was one of the first to announce they would bid to host it.
London may seem like an intuitive choice for some, though it might be difficult to justify the capital being awarded yet another large scale event.
Other cities in the UK that have the necessary infrastructure and venues large enough include Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle.
