Miss Universe 2025: Check the top 5 Latina contestants vying for the crown
A wave of Latinas are vying for the title of Miss Universe from Mexico and Venezuela to Bolivia and the Dominican Republic.
This year's Latinas have made an impression as both participants and cultural ambassadors. This year's pageant puts a spotlight on the impressive lineup of Latina and Latin American contestants, bringing their beauty, talent, and heritage to the global stage in Thailand.
Here are some of the leading Latinas vying for the crown:
1. Fátima Bosch (Miss Universe Mexico)
The 25-year-old from Tabasco was crowned Miss Universe Mexico in September 2025. She has received attention for her elegance and resilience.
Bosch is one of the names that has been linked to the contestant-judge controversy for having a confrontation with judge Nawat Itsaragrisil.
Itsaragrisil, director of Miss Universe, had publicly insulted her during the sash presentation, resulting in a walkout from her fellow contestants.
Read more: All about the Miss Universe 2025 drama: Who said what?
2. Lina Luaces (Miss Universe Cuba)
Luaces was born to a music mogul of the Latin music world, Lili Estefan. Born to Cuban parents in Miami, Lina has always grown up in the spotlight.
Lina has worked to make a name for herself and grow out of the shadows of her famous parents. She is only the second Cuban to compete in Miss Universe in over six decades, carrying her cultural roots with pride.
3. Jennifer Ventura (Miss Universe Dominican Republic)
Jennifer is still standing strong after the impact of the Jet Set tragedy in April of last year. She nearly declined to compete in the Miss Universe contest, but she was strengthened by this traumatic event. She said, "I understood that her death would be the main reason for me to walk this new path, and I'm sure it will transform my life and many other lives."
One of the people killed in the nightclub collapse was Roselin Marte Nova, her mother. Victoria Kjaer Theilvig, the current Miss Universe, crowned Jennifer as Miss Universe Dominican Republic.
Read More: Exhausted Miss Cambodia wears 10 kg heavy gown, smiles for Miss Universe prelims
4. María Ignacia “Inna” Moll (Miss Universe Chile)
Inna Moll is a 28-year-old model and digital influencer known for her social media presence and her advocacy for self-confidence and eco-conscious fashion.
But that is not all. Moll was in the center of the infamous controversy, where a make-up artist recorded her, where she seemed to be snorting white powder from her arm. Moll was quick to apologize for the same.
5. Karla Bacigalupo (Miss Universe Peru)
Bacigalupo is breaking the norms, competing at 33 at Miss Universe.
Bacigalupo is an actress and producer, currently based in Los Angeles. She is married and balancing her family life along with her pageant dreams, and she says her husband supports her.
ABOUT THE AUTHORShirin GuptaShirin Gupta is a content producer with the Hindustan Times. She covers everything between politics, entertainment and sports at the US desk. Shirin got interested in political journalism during her time as a web editor at her college newspaper NCC News in Syracuse when she first started seeing the effects of national politics in life of her fellow colleagues. Shirin has worked on a wide range of fast-moving and developing stories locally when she was at NCC editing accessible reports for the audience. Her current role requires her to track real-time updates, verify information and present balanced coverage across diverse beats. Covering US politics from an international newsroom perspective has further deepened her understanding of how domestic decisions can have far-reaching global consequences. With a keen interest in international affairs, Shirin continues to build her expertise in geopolitics, policy shifts, and cross-border developments. She aims to learn and evolve her reporting in matters of geopolitics and international issues. Outside the newsroom Shirin writes about books and music for her personal blog. She is an avid consumer of pop culture and reveres literature.Read More

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