[2] At the end of the event, Gabriela Isler of Venezuela crowned Paulina Vega of Colombia as Miss Universe 2014.

The pageant was hosted by Thomas Roberts and Natalie Morales, with Jeannie Mai as backstage correspondent.

[10] On 27 March 2014, Annette Cammer, Miss Universe Organization's national licensing director, responded through e-mail to a question by a national directive that the 2014 Miss Universe pageant will not be hosted in Ceará's capital, as promised and stated by local authorities.

[11] On 20 May 2014, Fortaleza's bid was formally retired, and the Miss Universe Organization was considering four other Brazilian cities as a replacement: Rio de Janeiro, Ribeirão Preto, Porto Alegre and Manaus.

On 9 September 2014, Puerto Rican newspaper, El Nuevo Dia, and Venezuelan newspaper, El Nacional, each printed an article that said that the contestants would be staying at a Trump-owned hotel in Miami; further fueling rumors that the pageant would be held in Miami in December.

[15] In early October, an announcement was released on the official website of Miss Universe stating that the pageant is will take place at the FIU Arena in Miami on 25 January 2015.

[25] The 2014 edition saw the returns of Albania, Egypt, Georgia, Ireland, Kenya, Kosovo, Portugal, Saint Lucia, and Uruguay.

[26] Azerbaijan, Botswana, Denmark, Estonia, Namibia, and Romania withdrew after their respective organizations failed to hold a national competition or appoint a delegate.

The results of the preliminary competition— which consisted of the swimsuit and evening gown competition, and the closed-door interview, determined the fifteen semifinalists.