Miss World 2026 runner-up: Who is Elisabeth Reynés, the Spaniard combining beauty, purpose and youth

At 22, Elisabeth Reynés turned a discreet arrival at Miss World 2026 into a historic result for Spain. The Mallorcan contestant finished as first runner-up, behind the Dominican Republic’s Joheirry Mola, who won the crown at a ceremony in Nha Trang, Vietnam.

Reynés advanced through each major stage of the competition. She made the Top 40, then the Top 20 and Top 12, before reaching the decisive group of six candidates. They competed among 111 national representatives. The result, announced on Saturday, September 5, gave Spain its best placement in the 75-year history of Miss World and formed part of three unprecedented achievements for the country.

Beyond the pageant, Reynés has built an academic profile around the hotel industry. Born in Mallorca, she holds a degree in Accommodation Management and is studying Hotel Management. The field reflects both the international character of her professional training and one of her main interests.

When she was chosen as Miss World Spain, Reynés said the title represented more than a chance to compete for a crown. She wanted to use her public visibility to support social causes and connect her reign with authenticity and commitment rather than image alone. “I want to show that a beauty queen is a real, approachable and intelligent person,” she said. She also described her intention to use her voice for a positive impact and to defend the idea that beauty can be linked to actions that improve other people’s lives.

That approach produced a concrete result in Vietnam. Reynés won Beauty With a Purpose, Miss World’s flagship social project, earning direct qualification for the pageant’s first cut. The victory also gave Spain the recognition for the first time in the contest’s history. Her family background adds another link to humanitarian work: she is the great-granddaughter of Swedish Count Carl Gustaf von Rosen, who assisted malnourished children during the Biafra war in Nigeria by using small aircraft to drop food. Before leaving for Vietnam, Reynés also attended the Spanish royal family’s reception at Marivent in Mallorca, where King Felipe VI wished her luck and offered words of support.

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I want to show that a beauty queen is a real, approachable and intelligent person.