Joheirry Mola takes the crown as Spain’s Elisabeth Reynés and Malaysia’s Taanusiya Chetty finish as runners-up
NHA TRANG, Vietnam — The crown has found a new home.
Joheirry Mola Dominguez of the Dominican Republic has been crowned Miss World 2026, defeating a field of more than 100 contestants at the 73rd Miss World final in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
Spain’s Elisabeth Reynés finished as 1st Runner-Up, while Malaysia’s Taanusiya Chetty claimed 2nd Runner-Up.
The victory delivered a major international breakthrough for the Dominican Republic and closed a historic edition of the competition; the first Miss World staged in Vietnam and part of the pageant’s 75th-anniversary celebrations.
From classroom to crown
Mola brought more than pageant experience to the Vietnamese stage.
The 24-year-old Dominican representative holds a degree in Business Management and Administration from Universidad Iberoamericana and works as a teacher, model and news correspondent. She founded Voices of Tomorrow; an initiative focused on expanding English education and opportunities for children and young people in vulnerable communities.
Her background fitted directly into Miss World’s increasingly prominent “Beauty with a Purpose” philosophy, which places social impact, communication and community service alongside beauty and presentation.
Before the final, Mola had already secured a major advantage by winning the Americas & Caribbean Top Model title, earning an automatic place in the Top 40.
Spain takes silver
Spain’s Elisabeth Reynés emerged as the night’s first runner-up after entering the competition as Miss World Spain 2026.
The 22-year-old, from Calvià in Mallorca, was selected as Spain’s representative at an April gala in Gran Canaria. Her run to the final had made her one of the contestants attracting international attention.
Her second-place finish gives Spain another major result on the global pageant stage.
Malaysia completes the podium
Taanusiya Chetty of Malaysia finished third overall as 2nd Runner-Up.
Chetty combined pageantry with education and activism. She works as a secondary-school English teacher and has built initiatives focused on children’s educational and emotional development. During the competition, she also used the Head-to-Head Challenge to speak about becoming an agent of change and turning personal experiences into community action.
Her podium finish represents one of Malaysia’s strongest recent performances at Miss World.
Vietnam’s home-court moment
Vietnam had its own major storyline.
Home representative Lê Nguyễn Bảo Ngọc entered the competition under enormous domestic attention and secured a Top 40 position after winning the Asia & Oceania regional Top Model title. She also reached the Top 24 of the Beauty With a Purpose challenge with a youth-focused sustainability project.
Her progress turned the inaugural Vietnamese hosting into a major national moment even before the final crown was awarded.
More than a beauty contest
The 2026 edition highlighted how far Miss World has moved from the traditional beauty-pageant model.
Contestants competed in Top Model, talent, Head-to-Head and Beauty With a Purpose challenges, with social projects and communication skills playing an increasingly important role.
The event also marked 75 years of Miss World, whose origins date to 1951 in the United Kingdom. The 2025 edition in India was won by Thailand’s Opal Suchata Chuangsri, who passed the crown to Mola in Vietnam.
The new Miss World
For the Dominican Republic, the result is more than another pageant victory.
It is the emergence of a new global ambassador whose profile combines education, media, community activism and international pageantry.
Mola now inherits the Miss World crown at a moment when the organization is increasingly presenting its winners not simply as beauty icons, but as public figures with causes, platforms and social responsibilities.
The stage in Nha Trang has gone dark.
The crown has passed.
And the Dominican Republic now has a new Miss World.
Results
Miss World 2026: Joheirry Mola Dominguez — Dominican Republic
1st Runner-Up: Elisabeth Reynés — Spain
2nd Runner-Up: Taanusiya Chetty — Malaysia
