The battle to host next year's Eurovision Song Contest has been whittled down to just Liverpool and Glasgow, the BBC has revealed.
The UK will stage the 2023 edition of the music competition after this year's winners, Ukraine, were deemed ineligible to host due to the ongoing Russian invasion.
Last month the candidate cities were shortened to a final seven, but just Liverpool and Glasgow now remain after Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield were ruled out.
Phil Harrold, who is overseeing the process of selecting the host city, said: "Thanks to all seven cities across the UK who have demonstrated the enthusiasm and passion for Eurovision that exists right across the UK.
"We were incredibly impressed by the quality and creativity of all the city bids, in what was a highly competitive field.
"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.
"We are determined to make the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest one that both reflects the winning position of Ukraine and is also an event that all of the UK can participate in."
The final decision is due to be announced "within weeks".
Neil Wilkes
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