Birmingham has been chosen ahead of Liverpool as the recommended city for England's bid to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed.
Having beaten Liverpool in a tight race, Birmingham must now convince the government that there is 'clear value' for tax payers money to approve the bid and underwrite the event's costs.
That call will be made in the coming weeks, with the Commonwealth Games Federation's final decision on where the 2022 Games will be held expected by the end of the year.
The event became unexpectedly available earlier this year when the CGF stripped the South African city of Durban of the right to stage the Games because of financial issues.
In a statement, sports minister Tracey Crouch said: "I am grateful to the bid teams from both Birmingham and Liverpool for their hard work in making the case for their respective cities as potential Commonwealth Games hosts.
"Now, after a comprehensive assessment process, the government will look at the final bid proposal from Birmingham and decide if a formal bid will be submitted to the Commonwealth Games Federation. We need to be completely satisfied that the bid offers overall value for money from hosting the Games and that a strong economic and sporting legacy can be delivered from it.
"The UK has fantastic expertise in hosting the biggest events in sport, as recently showcased at the London 2017 World Para Athletics and IAAF World Championships, and if we are to bid and are selected to host the Commonwealth Games in 2022 I have no doubt that Birmingham would host an excellent sporting spectacle."
If Birmingham's bid is successful, the city's Alexander Stadium will be expanded from its current capacity of 13,000 to 20,000, with 25,000 additional seats for the Games.
This will make the Perry Barr venue, which is already the home of UK Athletics (UKA), the largest, permanent athletics track in the country, and it is also intended to be used for other sports, concerts, and conferences.
On the other hand, Liverpool's plan to spend a significant amount of public money on a temporary track was always going to be a tough sell, despite the fact the actual stadium will be paid for privately and the city's bid made imaginative use of its other venues, including Aintree, Anfield and Goodison Park.
PA Sport contributed to this report.