A dispute between the two ownership groups behind the Miss Universe brand has left delegates from six Southeast Asian countries facing conflicting claims over their eligibility for the 2026 competition.
JKN Universe LLC, which owns the Miss Universe brand, said on September 18 that contestants representing Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore would not be eligible to compete in the 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico in November. The organization said the national franchise agreements connected to the six countries were unauthorized and void from the outset.
According to JKN Universe, Miss Universe Eastern Pte Ltd had no authority to grant, transfer or issue rights to the Miss Universe brand. It said the arrangements were made without a valid licensing agreement with JKN Universe and therefore could not be recognized.
The announcement was rejected by MU East, the eastern regional ownership group. In a separate statement, MU East said it had not reviewed or approved JKN Universe’s notice and that the statement did not represent the agreed position of Miss Universe’s two owners. JKN Universe is held through an equal 50:50 ownership structure involving MU East and MU West through JKN Legacy Inc.
MU East said it retained the contractual right to send six selected and eligible delegates from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia and Singapore. It argued that their participation should not be blocked, delayed or affected by the dispute between the two sides.
“MU East does not accept that valid agreements made under its territorial rights can be cancelled through a one-sided public statement,” the group said. It also maintained that it has exclusive rights to operate, promote and develop the Miss Universe brand across 95 eastern territories under the parties’ Hemisphere Agreement.
The dispute places the affected national representatives in an unusual position: one side says their franchise arrangements are invalid, while the other says their places are protected by existing territorial agreements. No final resolution of the conflict was included in the statements reviewed for this report.
Nawat Itsaragrisil, a Thai pageant executive, was appointed chief executive of Miss Universe Eastern on July 31. The Miss Universe Organization said he would lead the eastern team across 95 countries and work with national directors, delegates and commercial partners.
The 75th Miss Universe is scheduled to take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in November 2026. The six-country eligibility dispute remains unresolved, leaving the participation of the affected delegates subject to further organizational or legal clarification.
