6 Southeast Asian Countries Might Be Barred from Miss Universe 2026

In the wake of a rather controversial edition, the Miss Universe franchise continues to face leadership disputes.

Following Fatima Bosch's 2025 victory, the pageant is gearing up for its 75th edition, slated to be held in Puerto Rico in the latter half of the year. Ahead of the historic staging, the organization announced that six Southeast Asian countries—namely Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and Singapore—would be barred from competing due to a franchise dispute involving regional director Nawat Itsaragrisil.

In a statement released on September 18, JKN Universe LLC, which does business as the Miss Universe Organization, declared the six countries under Miss Universe Eastern ineligible to compete in the upcoming pageant. The company maintained that Miss Universe Eastern, which is led by Nawat Itsaragrisil, was not authorized to issue licenses for the Miss Universe brand. Nawat serves as CEO of Miss Universe Eastern, an entity involved in operations across 95 territories in the Eastern Hemisphere.

"Miss Universe Eastern Pte. Ltd. has no authority, whether independently or through any purported arrangement, to grant, assign, transfer, or otherwise confer any license or operational rights concerning the Miss Universe brand, and no valid legal or contractual licensing framework is currently in place authorizing it to do so," the statement read.

The statement also addressed Nawat's recent public disclosures concerning the organization's finances, alleging that the information he shared was "unverified, unsubstantiated, and presented under demonstrably false pretenses." JKN Universe further claimed that such statements "have the potential to cause significant harm to the reputation and integrity of the Miss Universe brand."

“By disseminating false, misleading, and incomplete information through his social media channels, Mr. Itsaragrisil has made, and continues to make, statements concerning individuals associated with the company and previous Miss Universe competitions that are inaccurate and unsupported by the facts," the statement continued.

Miss Universe Eastern, however, disputes JKN Universe's position. In its own statement, MU East maintained that JKN Universe operates under a 50-50 ownership structure between MU East and MU West through JKN Legacy Inc., and claimed that the September 18 statement was issued without its review or approval. It further asserted that, under its Hemisphere Agreement, MU East has the exclusive right to operate, promote, and develop the Miss Universe brand across 95 Eastern territories, including the authority to appoint and manage franchise partners.

MU East therefore maintains that the delegates from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and Singapore remain eligible to compete at Miss Universe 2026, leaving their participation at the center of an ongoing contractual dispute.

The statement further alleged that the franchise agreements covering the six countries were executed through what it called a "fundamentally illegitimate contractual arrangement." On this basis, JKN Universe declared the franchises unauthorized and their delegates ineligible to participate in the upcoming 75th Miss Universe competition in Puerto Rico.

In his own statement, Nawat disputed the declaration, maintaining that the six franchises retain the contractual right to send delegates to Miss Universe. He also confirmed that he would not personally attend the pageant in Puerto Rico, but insisted that the delegates would still participate.

Miss Universe Eastern likewise challenged JKN Universe's declaration, citing a Hemisphere Agreement that it says grants MU East the exclusive right to operate, promote, and develop the Miss Universe brand across 95 Eastern territories, as well as appoint and manage franchise partners within them. According to MU East, JKN Universe operates under an equal 50-50 ownership structure between MU East and MU West through JKN Legacy Inc., and neither party can unilaterally present its position as that of the entire organization.

On his personal Instagram account, Nawat has also publicly shared documents that he claims support his position on the organization's ownership and governance structure. His claims remain contested, however, as the two sides continue to dispute their respective authority over the Miss Universe brand and its franchises.

As of the time of writing, the dispute remains unresolved. Miss Universe Eastern has formally rejected the declaration barring the six affected countries, maintaining that it has the contractual authority to manage franchises within its 95 Eastern territories and send eligible delegates to the 75th Miss Universe pageant in Puerto Rico.

The six countries' participation therefore remains uncertain, with the opposing parties continuing to contest their respective authority over the franchises. Nawat has also continued to share documents and statements on his social media accounts supporting MU East's position.