Jogersa Beqiri, 24, is four months away from sharing the same stage with other beauty queens from around the world. She is Albania’s representative in the 74th edition of Miss Universe.
Currently, Miss Universe is based in Samut Prakan, Thailand and New York City, New York, United States, It is owned by JKN Global Group and Legacy Holding Group USA Inc.
Miss Universe 2026
On November 21, 2025, Fatima Bosch represented Mexico at Miss Universe 2025, competed against 117 other candidates at the Impact Challenger Hall in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, Thailand and won the title. Flavia Harizaj was supposed to represent Albania in the competition but she withdrew before the coronation ceremony.
On November 24, 2026, Bosch will crown her successor at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA. This marks the first time Uganda is participating in the international beauty pageant that started in 1952.
Including Beqiri, more than 120 other women will competing for the Miss Universe 2026 crown. Here are some of her fellow candidates:
- Wanderleia Rodrigues, 23, Angola
- Tamara Rogouski, 28, Argentina
- Caroline Porras, 24, Bonaire
- Dabilo Moses, 26, Botswana
- Anna Babau, 33, Bulgaria
- Audrey Black, 30, Cameroon
- Juliana May Myers, 21, Cayman Islands
- Weiyi Chen, 22, China
- Mariale Acosta, 24, Costa Rica
- Antea Mršić, 24, Croatia
- Sophia Osako, 22, Czech Republic
- Jessi Kalambayi, 27, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Sofia Cordova, 27, El Salvador
- Angela Pitao Aumonier, 25, Great Britain
- Chloé Deher, 31, Guadeloupe
- Kiss Kamila, 25, Hungary
- Sigríður Hrafnkelsdóttir, 27, Iceland
- Aideen Howard, 22, Ireland
- Danielle Sophie Yablonka, 25, Israel
- Sayuki Ito, 26, Japan
- Alina Ekaterinecheva, 22, Kazakhstan
- Evisa Pacolli, 21, Kosovo
- Medina Ermekova, 24, Kyrgyzstan
- Aminath Yuin Mohamed,18, Maldives
- Francesca Mercieca, 26, Malta
- Maëva Toumbou Dani, 33, Mayotte
- Aleksandra Ivezaj, 22, Montenegro
- May Grace Parry, 31, Myanmar
- Melissa Bottema, 26, Netherlands
- Gretha Matiauda, 25, Paraguay
- Luren Leticia Márquez Canales, 27, Peru
- Beatrice Rebecca “Bea” Millan Windorski, 24, Philippines
- Jennifer Barretto, 27, Puerto Rico
- Bernella Velinor, 33, Saint Lucia
- Katti Fofanah, Sierra Leone
- Anna Lickova, 25, Slovakia
- Bajabulise Thela, 23, South Africa
- Susana Medina, 27, Spain
- Nimhara Sasindi, 25, Sri Lanka
- Sarrah Brahmi, 33, Tunisia
- Anna Nikonova, 22, Ukraine
- Jenna-Monét Queeley, United States Virgin Islands
- Lucía Piñeyro, 35, Uruguay
- Clara Federica Vegas Goetz, 23, Venezuela
- Mubanga Hatyoka, 24, Zambia
- Roseanna Hall, 34, Zimbabwe
From Shkodër to San Juan
Beqiri has a bachelor’s degree in information technology. She hails from Shkodër, Albania.
Separated by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, both San Juan and Shkodër are ancient gateway cities defined by centuries of military defense, historic fortresses, and an indomitable spirit of cultural preservation. Both cities evolved into regional cultural sanctuaries despite foreign occupation.
Founded by Spanish colonists in 1521, San Juan spent centuries serving as the essential Caribbean outpost guarding Spain’s American empire. Its historical identity is anchored by massive stone fortifications like Castillo San Felipe del Morro. Similarly, Shkodër—one of Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited cities—served as a crucial Illyrian, Roman, and Ottoman stronghold, dominated by the ancient Rozafa Castle overlooking Lake Shkodër.
While San Juan preserved its vibrant Afro-Puerto Rican traditions and Spanish colonial heritage amidst shifting imperial powers, Shkodër developed as Albania’s intellectual cradle, retaining its distinct artistic identity, religious harmony, and rich folklore through centuries of Ottoman dominance and communist isolation.
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