Emoura Pham and the 9 most promising candidates for Miss Grand International 2026

The race for the Miss Grand International 2026 crown is revealing its leading group in tonight's final, with Emoura Pham of Vietnam alongside representatives from Ecuador, Tanzania, and many other beauties with impressive achievements and high regard from experts. Emoura Pham (Vietnam): A mixed-race beauty with rich experiences. Emoura Pham, 26 years old, 1.70m tall, has a Vietnamese mother and an English father. Her Vietnamese name is Pham Chan Phuong. She attended international schools in Vietnam and moved to the US to study at the age of 15. In 2025, she returned to Vietnam, participated in Vietnam's Next Top Model, and was crowned Miss Grand Vietnam 2026. She is pursuing a project to build pedestrian bridges for people in the Mekong Delta. The beautiful Emoura Pham. At Miss Grand International 2026, Emoura reached the Top 15 in the Grand Talent category with her singing and dancing performance to the song "Espresso ," was in the Top 10 in the Pre-Arrival voting, and was in the Top 3 for Country's Power of the Year. Before the semi-finals, Sash Factor ranked her 3rd. After the semi-finals, Pageanthology ranked her first in the evening gown category with her "Phoenix" design. Her national costume , "Vinh Quy Bai To ," inspired by the craft of making paper horses, was named among the outstanding costumes by Philstar of the Philippines and El Universo of Ecuador. Emoura Pham models evening gowns: Shyare Andrade (Ecuador): The short-haired girl who overcame adversity. Shyare Andrade, 23, from Portoviejo, is a law student at the Technical University of Manabí, a model, a content creator, and a self-employed pastry businesswoman. She grew up with her single mother in difficult circumstances. Since 2021, she has been volunteering and founded the Mundo Lienzo project, using painting, music , and dance to help children become more confident. Shyare Andrade Shyare won Reina del Comercio de Portoviejo 2021, reached the finals of the reality TV show La Supermodelo 2024, and was crowned Señorita Manabí 2026. After making it to the Top 5 of Miss Universo Ecuador 2026, she was appointed Miss Grand Ecuador 2026. Her short, androgynous hairstyle is her signature look. Sash Factor ranked Shyare number 1 before the semi-finals. She made it to the Top 15 of Grand Talent and Top 2 of Country's Power of the Year. According to Extra , the team is still considering several evening gown options for her final night. Jihan Dimack (Tanzania): A comeback after 10 years. Jihan Dimack, full name Jihan Mohin Dimachk, is a professional model who has appeared in numerous advertising campaigns and fashion magazines. Before becoming a model, she worked as an administrative employee. She was the 2nd runner-up in Miss Tanzania 2014, Miss Universe Tanzania 2016, and competed in Miss Universe. Jihan Dimack Ten years later, Jihan returned and was crowned Miss Grand Tanzania 2026. She finished second in Sash Factor before the semi-finals. Jihan topped Country's Power of the Year before the semi-finals and was in direct competition with Ecuador in the final round. She was slightly ahead of Ecuador in this voting round and also led the Miss Popular Vote. Her prairie-themed national costume was rated outstanding by Philstar. Patthama Jitsawat ( Thailand ): The female singer has the home advantage. Patthama Jitsawat, nicknamed Ning, 33 years old, holds both a bachelor's and a master's degree from Rangsit University. She is a singer, known since 2015 through a singing competition program on One 31 channel. Patthama Jitsawat She won Miss Universe Chonburi 2025 but relinquished the title to pursue a singing career. In 2026, Patthama Jitsawat was crowned Miss Grand Chonburi and then Miss Grand Thailand 2026, simultaneously breaking sales records in the Best Seller category. At this year's competition, she reached the Top 15 in the Grand Talent category and garnered attention with her national costume, The Royal Buffalo of Siam, inspired by the buffalo racing festival in Chonburi, which was named by El Universo as one of the most impressive costumes. Angelica Lopez (Philippines): Mission for 3 consecutive years Angelica Lopez, 25, from Bataraza, Palawan, studied psychology at Palawan State University. She reached the Top 16 of Miss Universe Philippines 2022, won the title of Binibining Pilipinas International 2023, and competed in Miss International 2024. On August 7, 2026, Angelica Lopez became the first person to be crowned Reina Filipinas Grand International. Angelica Lopez She embraces the message of self-love with her tan skin and natural physique. "I used to doubt my beauty, especially my skin color, but now I enjoy every moment," she shared. The Philippines currently holds two consecutive crowns with CJ Opiaza, who will succeed her in 2024, and Emma Tiglao in 2025, so Angelica is expected to win for the third consecutive year. She made it into the Top 10 in the Pre-Arrival poll. Her national costume, recreating a folk witch by designer Patrick Isorena, was ranked among the highlights by El Universo. Ximena Carrillo (Guatemala): A familiar face to Vietnamese audiences. Ximena Carrillo, 22, from Guatemala, is a marketing student, model, content creator, and former national athlete. She was a Top 21 finalist in Miss Cosmo 2024 held in Vietnam before becoming Miss Grand Guatemala 2026. Ximena Carrillo's message is to end war and violence. Ximena Carrillo At Miss Grand International 2026, Ximena made it to the Top 10 in the Pre-Arrival voting and the Top 8 in Country's Power of the Year. The Honduran newspaper La Prensa included her in its list of 10 promising candidates. Lady Di Mosquera (Venezuela): A tall model, 1.83m Lady Di Mosquera, 1.83m tall, hails from Carora and is a communications student and model. She was the runner-up in season 2 of the reality TV show El Concurso, reached the Top 6 of Miss Charm 2023 held in Vietnam, and was crowned Reina Internacional del Café 2026 in Colombia. Lady Di Mosquera On April 29, 2026, Lady Di Mosquera was crowned Miss Grand Venezuela 2026. In the semi-finals, she impressed with a crystal-embellished evening gown and white cape designed by Nidal Nouaihed. The Meridiano newspaper noted that Lady Di Mosquera solidified her position as a strong contender after the competition. She aims to bring home Venezuela's second crown after Valentina Figuera's 2019 victory. Alyanni Gómez (Cuba): Latin Identity Alyanni Gómez (Cuba) Alyanni Gómez, 25, originally from Guanajay and currently living in the US, is a model and a dental preparatory student at Florida International University. In the talent competition, she made an impression with a salsa dance tribute to the legendary singer Celia Cruz. La Prensa magazine included Alyanni Gómez in its list of 10 notable candidates of the season. Victoria Oluwakotanmi (USA): From the military to the beauty pageant stage Victoria Oluwakotanmi Victoria Oluwakotanmi, 25, from San Antonio, is an American of Nigerian descent and a former logistics officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. She holds the titles of Miss Texas USA 2023, 2nd Runner-up Miss Grand USA 2024, and 1st Runner-up Miss Grand USA 2026, before officially taking on the Miss Grand USA title on August 21, 2026. Victoria Oluwakotanmi was a Top 15 finalist in the Grand Talent competition and is listed as a notable candidate by La Prensa. Vicky Carbonell (Puerto Rico): A singer from reality TV Vicky Carbonell is a singer who reached the semi-finals of the Objetivo Fama competition and competed in Miss Universe Puerto Rico 2026 before being chosen as the representative by Nuestra Belleza Puerto Rico. She made it to the Top 15 of the Grand Talent competition with her singing performance and presented a national costume inspired by the legendary pirate Cofresí. According to El Vocero , beauty expert Osmel Sousa considers Vicky Carbonell a promising candidate. Vicky Carbonell The Miss Grand International 2026 final will take place on the evening of October 10, 2026, at MGI Hall, Bangkok. The results for Country's Power of the Year and Miss Popular Vote will be announced during the competition. Vietnamese audiences are hoping Emoura Pham will follow in the footsteps of Thuy Tien - Miss Grand International 2021. Minh Phi Photo: Archival material, video : MGI