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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Shahana Yasmin

Miss Universe says six Asian contestants cannot compete in 2026 pageant

Six contestants from Southeast Asia are likely to miss this year’s Miss Universe after a dispute between the pageant’s two ownership groups put their eligibility in doubt.

On 18 September, JKN Universe LLC, the company that owns the Miss Universe brand, said contestants from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, and Singapore wouldn’t be eligible to compete at the 75th Miss Universe in Puerto Rico in November.

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