LONDON, Sept. 7 -- Birmingham was Thursday named as the British government's choice to host the 2024 Commonwealth Games.

It beat Liverpool in the race to stage the event, after the organising federation started a search for a new host city after Durban pulled out.

Britain's second biggest city will now face competition from rival bids made by Australia, Canada and Malaysia.

The British government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) had sought potential bidders in Britain to host the showpiece event after the South African city pulled out. It became a two-horse race between Birmingham and Liverpool.

Organisers of the Birmingham bid say if the city is chosen it will see major investment worth hundreds of millions of dollars through upgraded sports venues and training facilities, a new aquatics center, as well as major upgrades in the city's transport network.

Birmingham's plans also include the building of Britain's largest permanent athletics stadium, along with four indoor arenas.

The cost of staging the games in Birmingham would be as much as 900 million U.S. dollars with 75 percent coming from the national government and the rest from Birmingham's city hall.