The Duke of Sussex's Invictus Games tournament could be making a return to the UK.
The Invictus Games Foundation announced on Tuesday that Washington DC, USA and Birmingham, UK have been shortlisted to host the sporting event in 2027.
A final decision by the board of trustees will be made by the end of July, and if Birmingham is chosen, it will be the first time that tournament has returned to the UK since the inaugural competition in London in 2014.
The UK government-backed bid focuses on the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, and draws the connection to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Selly Oak and wider Defence Medical assets in the region. Birmingham also seeks to utilise the nine core sports alongside esports, as well as exploring the addition of a team triathlon as a potential new sport.
Helen Helliwell, CEO Invictus Games 2027 UK Bid, said: "We were privileged to make initial presentations to the Invictus Games Foundation Board earlier this month and are thrilled to move forward to the shortlist.
"We have a truly compelling bid to bring the Games back to the UK, showcasing the best of our Armed Forces communities and delivering on our pledge to make this the best country in the world to be a Veteran.
"As well as delivering an amazing week of the Games Festival at the NEC Birmingham (a Commonwealth Games venue in 2022), we want to use the platform of the Games to improve opportunities for adaptive sport, arts and employment, enabling communities to thrive, both in the run up to the Games and as a legacy from them, across the UK and beyond."
© GettyThe dates for the 2027 event are yet to be confirmed.
The announcement comes ahead of Prince Harry's return to London to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Invictus Games at a special thanksgiving service at St Paul's Cathedral.
Where have the Invictus Games taken place?
After London hosted the first tournament in September 2014, Harry took the Games to Orlando in 2016, where he was joined by then First Lady Michelle Obama and then Second Lady Dr Jill Biden.
Harry made his public debut with then-girlfriend Meghan Markle at the Toronto Games in 2017, just a couple of months before their engagement was announced.
© GettyIn 2018, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the 2018 Invictus Games in Sydney on their first royal tour of Australia.
Meghan also joined Harry in The Hague, Netherlands for the Games in 2022. The event was postponed from 2020 because of the global pandemic.
© GettyThe Sussexes then travelled to Dusseldorf in Germany in 2023, where Harry delivered an emotive five-minute speech at the closing ceremony.
The 2025 Games will take place in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada in February next year. Harry and Meghan joined competitors at a training camp in February earlier this year to mark the one-year countdown.
