Great Britain will host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 on behalf of Ukraine

The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will take place in Great Britain

Although Ukraine won this year’s competition due to the ongoing conflict that followed the Russian invasion, the show’s organizers confirmed what had long been speculated: that the competition will be hosted by runners-up Great Britain.

The European Broadcasting Union and the BBC announced on Monday that the UK will host the BBC “on behalf” of the 2023 winning broadcaster, AU:PBC Ukraine. However, as the winner, Ukraine will automatically qualify for the Grand Final along with the “big five” of the countries contributing financially, including the UK. The EBU added that UA:PBC will work with the BBC to produce the Ukrainian elements of the programme. .

The host city competition starts this week, but Glasgow and Manchester have already expressed interest.

Great Britain host #Eurovision 2023! 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

➡️ Everything you need to know here: https://t.co/qQVS3gierN pic.twitter.com/IpHCA2i4U6

— Eurovision Song Contest (@Eurovision) July 25, 2022

“We are extremely grateful that the BBC has agreed to host the Eurovision Song Contest in the UK in 2023,” said Martin Osterdahl, CEO of Eurovision Song Contest.

“The BBC has hosted the other winning countries on four previous occasions. Continuing this tradition of solidarity, we know that next year’s competition will showcase the creativity and skill of one of Europe’s most experienced public broadcasters and will ensure that this year’s winners, Ukraine, are celebrated and represented throughout the event.

Mykola Czernotytskyi, Director of the Management Board of UA:PBC, added: “The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 will not be held in Ukraine, but in support of Ukraine. We thank our BBC partners for their solidarity with us. I am sure that together we will be able to add the Ukrainian spirit to this event and once again unite all of Europe to celebrate our common values: peace, support, diversity and talent.