The UK has officially been confirmed as the host for Eurovision 2023 after winning country Ukraine will no longer be able to host.

This comes after months of war and conflict in the country as Russia continues its invasion.

In an EBU press release published earlier, it was announced that this decision had been made following the exploration of hosting the Contest in Ukraine, and regrettably concluding that for safety and security reasons this was not possible.

As a result of those discussions, the BBC, as runner up in the 2022 Contest, was invited by the EBU to act as Host Broadcaster for the 67th Eurovision Song Contest.

Ukraine is not able to host Eurovision 2023

As the winning country in 2022, Ukraine will automatically qualify for the Grand Final of the upcoming Contest along with the so-called ‘Big 5’ (those countries that financially contribute the most towards the Contest: France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom). 

"We’re exceptionally grateful that the BBC has accepted to stage the Eurovision Song Contest in the UK in 2023," said Martin Österdahl, the Eurovision Song Contest’s Executive Supervisor. 

"The BBC has taken on hosting duties for other winning countries on four previous occasions. Continuing in this tradition of solidarity, we know that next year’s Contest will showcase the creativity and skill of one of Europe’s most experienced public broadcasters whilst ensuring this year’s winners, Ukraine, are celebrated and represented throughout the event."

Mykola Chernotytskyi, Head of the Managing Board of UA:PBC added:

‘The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will not be in Ukraine but in support of Ukraine. We are grateful to our BBC partners for showing solidarity with us. I am confident that together we will be able to add Ukrainian spirit to this event and once again unite the whole of Europe around our common values of peace, support, celebrating diversity and talent.’

It was also revealed that representatives of UA: PBC will work with the BBC to develop and implement the Ukrainian elements of next year’s shows.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated County Durham Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054