Last week saw the Eurovision rumour mill in full steam as several Israeli newspapers and media outlets started speculating that the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest host city had been selected and that Tel Aviv would have the honour of hosting the event on 21, 23, 25 May. Soon after the EBU released a statement refuting the reports and stating that no decision had been taken yet regarding the 2019 Eurovision host city.

Israeli Television Channel Reshet reported that the imminent ESC 2019 host city announcement had been delayed due to EBU’s letter to the Israeli government requesting to it to comply with several pre conditions in order to hold the contest in Israel. The web portal went on to mention that Tel Aviv had met all the required criterias to host the event and that the Eurovision Village had played a big role in the final decision as Jerusalem had not come up with an adequate location to house the Eurovision Village.

With various Israeli media outlets running the news on the alleged 2019 Eurovision host city determination, the European Broadcasting Union released a statement saying that no decision had been taken regarding the 2019 ESC host city as both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv had submitted very strong proposals.

Host city yet to be determined

The EBU tweeted the following message regarding the 2019 Eurovision host city deliberation:

Despite ongoing media speculation, no decision has yet been made by the EBU as to which city will host the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have both submitted extremely strong bids which meet the needs of the Contest.

We are examining the proposals carefully in order to choose the best overall location for next year’s event. When a decision has been reached the host city will be revealed via our official channels.

 

Update on the Host City in Israel

“Despite ongoing media speculation, no decision has yet been made by the EBU as to which city will host the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. Tel Aviv and Jerusalem have both submitted extremely strong bids which meet the needs of the Contest.”

1/2 pic.twitter.com/6vnnkO0HII

— Eurovision (@Eurovision) 7 de septiembre de 2018

“We are examining the proposals carefully in order to choose the best overall location for next year’s event. When a decision has been reached the host city will be revealed via our official channels.”

2/2

— Eurovision (@Eurovision) 7 de septiembre de 2018

Initially a total of 3 cities (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Eilat) officially submitted their bids to host the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, after the EBU’s visit to Israel, Eilat dropped out of the race as it didn’t meet the EBU’s requirements to host the competition. Hence Jerusalem and Tel Aviv remain in the host city race, with Tel Aviv very much looking like the frontrunner to host Europe’s favorite television show next year.

The EBU and host broadcaster KAN are expected to reveal the 2019 Eurovision host city and dates in due course.