A shortlist of cities which could host next year's Eurovision have been unveiled on Friday morning. 

Glasgow is the only Scottish city to make the list after Aberdeen's bid to become the host didn't get past the first stage of the process. 

Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield are the remaining cities to have secured an attempt at the second stage of the bidding for the 67th annual pop spectacular. 

Next year's Eurovision was due to be hosted by Ukraine after the country was crowned champion of the contest in 2022. 

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) confirmed that the show would be hosted in the UK amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

The chosen cities meet a set of minimum requirements that prove they have the "capacity, capability and experience to host an event of this scale and complexity".

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With time already ticking for the extensive preparation needed for pop gala, the selection placed an emphasis on cities which have past experience in hosting major international events. 

The selection process consists of two stages and these seven cities will now go through the second and final stage. 

They will need to develop their bids in detail before the successful city is selected by the BBC and the EBU will be announced in the autumn. 

Kate Phillips, BBC’s director of unscripted content says: “We would like to thank all of the cities and regions that submitted bids to host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest. We have seven fantastic cities who we are taking through to the next round."

"Congratulations to Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and Sheffield - it’s exciting to see such a breadth of bids going through from across the UK. We are committed to delivering a truly unique Song Contest that celebrates wonderful Ukraine and champions British music and creativity in all its diversity.”

The final criteria the cities will be judged on includes: 

  • having a suitable venue and sufficient space to deliver the requirements
  • commitment that can be made by a city or region to hosting the event, including financial contribution
  • strength of the cultural offer which includes off screen local and regional activity as well as showcasing Ukrainian culture and music
  • alignment with the BBC’s strategic priorities as a public service broadcaster

Councillor Susan Aitken, leader of Glasgow City Council, said the city has an "unrivalled track record".

She said: “We’re delighted to progress to the next stage of the process.

"Delivering such a unique event in such a short timescale presents a challenge, but Glasgow has an unrivalled track-record for successfully hosting major global events and we’re confident we can present a Eurovision that reflects a true celebration of Ukrainian culture. 

“As the UK’s first UNESCO City of Music – a title we share with Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv – Glasgow offers one of the most immersive live music experiences in the world and international visitors regularly cite our enviable music credentials as a reason for coming here. Add to that our OVO Hydro, which is consistently ranked in the world’s top five entertainment arenas, and our famously warm Glaswegian welcome, and we tick all the boxes for hosting a show that the Eurovision community, and the world, will long remember.”