Hyderabad: Thailand’s Opal Suchata Chuangsri was crowned the 72nd Miss World at a glittering finale held on 31 May at the HITEX Exhibition Centre in Hyderabad.

She received the crown from Miss World 2024, Krystyna Pyszkova of the Czech Republic.

Ethiopia’s Hasset Dereje was named first runner-up, followed by Poland’s Maja Klajda as the second runner-up. Aurlie Joachim from Martinique also secured a spot in the top four.

Hailing from Phuket, Opal is a student of international relations and a professional model.

She is also an active campaigner for breast cancer awareness — a cause close to her heart after she discovered a benign lump in her breast at the age of 16.

Her personal experience has since motivated her advocacy for early detection in Thailand.

Opal had earlier represented Thailand at Miss Universe 2024 in Mexico City, where she was initially declared the third runner-up. However, that title was revoked after she accepted the Miss World Thailand 2025 crown before completing her 12-month tenure under the Miss Universe Thailand title.

This year’s Miss World competition saw participation from 108 contestants worldwide. Representing India was model Nandini Gupta, who advanced to the top 20.

The finale was co-hosted by Miss World 2016 Stephanie del Valle, who wore a traditional Indian lehenga, alongside Sachiin Kumbhar.

The evening was further enlivened by performances from Bollywood stars Jacqueline Fernandez and Ishaan Khatter.

The judging panel featured actor Sonu Sood, who was also honoured with the Miss World Humanitarian Award, Sudha Reddy — the 2025 Global Ambassador for Beauty With a Purpose — and Dr Caryna Turrell, a public health physician from the University of Cambridge and Miss England 2014.

Outgoing titleholder Krystyna Pyszkova also joined the jury, which was chaired by Julia Morley CBE, Chairwoman of Miss World.

The event was attended by several prominent figures, including former Miss World Manushi Chhillar, actors Rana Daggubati and Namrata Shirodkar, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, and actor-politician Chiranjeevi.

This marked the second consecutive year that India hosted the Miss World pageant.

The 71st edition was held in Mumbai, where Krystyna Pyszkova had been crowned Miss World.