The race to become the Host City of the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest is down to just two cities.

Last week, five cities presented their bid books to Dutch Host Broadcaster NPO and after careful examination, the selection committee - in conjunction with technical experts and the EBU - chose to not explore further the proposals from Arnhem, 's-Hertogenbosch and Utrecht.

Maastricht and Rotterdam were deemed to have provided the strongest bids, offering the right facilities to organize both the television show as well as the side-events like the Eurovision Village, EuroClub and the Opening Ceremony. The cities can also provide an appropriate number of hotel rooms and are willing to substantially contribute financially to the organization of the event.

“All the cities and venues have put a lot of effort into their bids. We were impressed with all the proposals and would like to thank everyone involved so far for their positive input and commitment. We are convinced Maastricht and Rotterdam offer everything that a Host City requires,” said Sietse Bakker, Executive Producer of the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest. “We are hoping the other cities will maintain their enthusiasm for the Song Contest. We’d love to discuss in the coming months how we can involve them in the event next year.”

In the next few weeks, organizers will visit the potential Host Cities to assess the proposed venues and other locations. The final choice for the Host City of the 2020 Eurovision Song Contest is planned to be announced 30 August.

(Updated on 9 August 2019 to reflect the specific Host City announcement date)