Eurovision 2023 Host City Shortlist Revealed: Here's Why London Is Not Included

The BBC Press Office has finally revealed the United Kingdom cities that were shortlisted to be the host city for the upcoming 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

Ukraine was supposed to be the host country this year, but because of the current state of the war-torn nation, the responsibility fell to the second placer's country - the United Kingdom.

But among the shortlisted cities, the most suited city to handle, London, is out of the running, and people are asking why.

Eurovision 2023 Host City Shortlist Revealed

Earlier today, the European Broadcasting Union, through the BBC Press Office, revealed the list of potential cities that could host the upcoming 2023 Eurovision Song Contest.

Even though Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra won earlier this year, the EBU has decided that the hosting responsibility should be transferred to the United Kingdom which was the second placer of this year's contest.

Based on the press release, Birmingham, Glasgow, Liverpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, and Sheffield, are all in the running to be the Eurovision 2023 host city.

Cardiff was supposed to be on the list too, but they pulled out earlier this month for scheduling concerns. The Wales capital is concerned that their Principality Stadium, should they be selected, would have to cancel a "significant number" of shows to accommodate the continent-wide singing contest.

Meanwhile, fans were visibly upset about why London is left out of the list to be the Eurovision 2023 host city.

Why is Eurovision 2023 Not Held in London?

Upon EBU's announcement that Eurovision 2023 would be held in the United Kingdom, London Mayor Sadiq Khan was "really excited" to have heard the news.

"It's also a fact that there are many Londoners of Ukrainian origin and this is going to be Eurovision hosted by Ukraine in another city in the UK. Clearly, it's got to be London," the Mayor said in a statement earlier this week.

However, to Mayor Khan and London fans' surprise, the city was snubbed on the shortlist.

According to Variety, UK public networks are making an effort to "decentralize broadcasting" away from London.

20 cities have expressed interest in being Eurovision 2023 host city, including London, demonstrating how they would reflect Ukrainian culture, music, and communities. (via Evening Standard)

Fans are divided on the non-inclusion of the city on the shortlist while Northern fans are pleased knowing that they would be given a chance to host the highly-awaited competition.

As of this writing, there has been no official response from the EBU yet on why London is not shortlisted to be a Eurovision 2023 host city.

The United Kingdom has won the Eurovision Song Contest five times already and has hosted the event eight times. In four of those UK-held contests, London is the Eurovision host city and 1977 was the last time.

Tags

Eurovision, Eurovision Song Contest