Who will be the next Miss Universe Cuba?
Finalists will compete in Miami in July. Already, 150 women have participated in the first round of virtual auditions, and a second virtual audition will be held on Friday, March 27, for additional hopefuls.
The winner will go on to compete in the 75th edition of the Miss Universe pageant, which will be in November in Puerto Rico.
Two years after Venezuelan designer and lawyer Prince Julio César acquired the Miss Universe Cuba franchise, the contestants now have two examples to follow to gauge how to perform at the global contest. Lina Luaces Estefan placed among the semifinalists (Top 12) last year in Thailand, in one of the most controversial Miss Universe editions in history, which was won by Mexican Fátima Bosch.
In 2024, Marianela Ancheta — the first Miss Universe Cuba after five decades of the country’s absence from the contest — made the Top 30. Ancheta wowed the audience with a sensual costume inspired by the Afro-Cuban deity Oshún and the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, patron saint of Cuba, which she wore during the national costume parade on November 14, 2024, in Mexico City.
Requirements for Miss Universe Cuba 2026
Prince Julio César said the fundamental requirement to compete as Miss Universe Cuba is that applicants must have been born in Cuba or be descendants of Cubans. They must also be at least 18 years old.
In-person interviews will be held on April 4, and subsequent steps of the selection process will be announced on Miss Universe Cuba’s social media channels and on its website, missuniversecuba.org.
The contest prepares contestants for winning — and losing.
“Not winning the crown is not the end of the road, but a new opportunity,” Prince Julio César said, because the experience contestants gain can open doors in television, entertainment, and modeling, he explained.
This year, they will also prepare contestants to better handle the heat on social media, he said. Miss Universe Cuba contestants can be attacked for being born — or not born — on the island, for instance.
New and familiar faces among the contestants
The director of Miss Universe Cuba said he was pleased with the applicants this year. “There are new faces and familiar faces to the community.”
Among the new faces are Karla Moreno, a personal trainer who lives in Miami, and Maybet Paz, a nursing graduate who has lived in Uruguay for four years.
Cuban American Karla Moreno aspires to compete in the Miss Universe Cuba 2026 pageant, which will be held in July in Miami.
(Couertesy Miss Universe Cuba)
Maybet Paz, who lives in Uruguay, is one of the Cuban women who will aspire to become Miss Universe Cuba 2026.
(Courtesy Miss Universe Cuba)
“I carry my island in my soul and the desire to see it free in my heart. Cuba is strength, talent, and hope. May peace and freedom always be the path for our people. One day the embrace will be complete,” Paz wrote in an Instagram post.
Mia Donadio Cancio, a contestant who placed among the top five in Miss Universe Cuba last year, returns for this edition. Known on social media as Mia Dio, and with more than one million followers on Instagram, Mia was also chosen Miss Popularity as the most voted contestant by the public through Miss Universe Cuba’s platforms.
After placing among the top five finalists in Miss Universe Cuba 2025, Mia Angelina Donadio Cancio returns to win the Miss Universe Cuba 2026 crown.
(Courtesy Miss Universe Cuba)
A graduate in International Relations from Florida International University, Mia is the granddaughter of former Miami-Dade commissioner and businessman José “Pepe” Cancio, and her mother is lawyer and political activist Marili Cancio. She has experience in other competitions, having participated in Nuestra Belleza Latina (Univision) in 2021.
The rebirth of the Miss Universe pageant
The Miss Universe 2025 pageant, held in Thailand, was surrounded by controversy. It began with the removal of Miss Universe Mexico Fátima Bosch from an event days before the contest, following a dispute with Nawat Itsaragrisil, then director of Miss Global International and a Miss Universe executive in Asia.
Several judges complained about the lack of transparency in the contest, and finally there were accusations of fraud regarding Bosch’s victory as Miss Universe, which were denied by the pageant’s owner, Mexican businessman Raúl Rocha Cantú. Although Rocha Cantú later had legal troubles in Mexico unrelated to the pageant, he remains one of the owners of Miss Universe.
Prince Julio César said it’s impossible to deny the contest’s previous problems, but that one of the goals this year for Miss Universe franchise owners should be to recover the legacy of a pageant that is now 75 years old.
Venezuelan designer and attorney Prince Julio César, owner of the Miss Universe Cuba franchise, announced the auditions taking place this Friday, March 27, virtually.
(Courtesy Miss Universe Cuba)
“We must be reborn from the truth, and with effectiveness and respect, choose women who continue to dignify the Miss Universe brand,” Prince Julio César said.
Because the pageant will be held in Puerto Rico, which is hosting Miss Universe for the fourth time, a greater spotlight is expected on representatives from Latin American countries.
“Our flavor and our traditions will be present,” he said. “The girls will live a great experience on a wonderful Caribbean island.”
