Eurovision 2023: What are the odds for Birmingham to win and host the event?

The UK is set to host the 2023 Eurovision song contest on behalf of Ukraine and the shortlist has JUST been announced - and Birmingham is on it!

But how does Brum fair in terms of the competition from the other shortlisted cities, which are Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield.

Ace Odds has compiled the probability of which city in the UK is most likely to host Eurovision 2023.

The company pointed out that multiple UK cities have all the requirements to hold the big event such as transport links, accommodation, iconic venues which will help decide the location.

But it says that Glasgow is the current favourite with Birmingham coming second. You can see the full table below:

Why is Glasgow the favourite and not Birmingham?

Minutes after the shortlist was announced, Glasgow appears to be the bookies favourites of hosting the contest is Glasgow with a huge 47.7%! The OVO Hydra Arena has the ability to hold over 14,000 people.

Birmingham is just behind with a 30.3% chance, after hosting the spectacular Commonwealth Games. Resorts World Arena is the chosen venue for Birmingham, should it be successful. It recently hosted the hugely successful Concert for Ukraine and is available in May when Eurovision 2023 is due to take place.

Birmingham also has past experience of hosting Eurovision, when it was held at the NIA (now known as Utilita Arena) in 1998.

How does Eurovision choose the host city?

To be in with a chance of hosting Eurovision 2023, each city needs to formally apply to both the BBC and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

Each city will need to market themselves as being the best option - showcasing what they could bring to the event.

Criteria recently announced suggested the host city must be within easy reach of an international airport and having a venue which can accommodate 10,000 spectators. It’s also vital for the host city to have enough hotel accommodation for at least 2,000 delegates, journalists and spectators.

What happens next?

Now that the shortlist has been announced we enter the second and final stage of the decision making. Each shortlisted city will need to provide a more detailed plan of how they would hold the Eurovision song contest. The final decision is made by choosing the city that scores the highest against the BBC’s criteria. We should find out the result in Autumn.

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