The Eurovision Song Contest was handed to Liverpool after a bittersweet win in 2022.
Last year's Turin contest saw the Kalush Orchestra come out on top, with the cultural banger Stefania sweeping the televote. Ukraine's win before then came in 2016 with Jamala which resulted in Kyiv hosting the following year.
As much as their victory was celebrated, Kalush Orhcestra's success ushered in a wave of questions as to whether or not the nation would be able to hold the contest. Russia's invasion began just a few months prior with many parts of the country devasted by war.
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Ukrainian broadcaster UA:PBC naturally wanted to host but on July 25, after weeks of exploring the feasibility of a Ukrainian Contest, it was announced that regrettably, for safety and security reasons, this was not possible.
Several countries threw their hat into the ring to host but the United Kingdom was chosen by the European Broadcasting Union because of their second placement in 2022 and its history of handling the contest on behalf of other nations who could not fulfil the duty.
Cities across the UK sent bids to house the contest with the big hitters like London, Manchester and Glasgow all weighing in. After weeks of consideration on their ability to meet a set of minimum requirements, demonstrating that they have the capacity, capability and experience to host an event of this scale and complexity, 20 cities were widdled down to two - Liverpool versus Glasgow.
The winner was announced on BBC's The One Show with Graham Norton announcing Liverpool got the job.
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