Botswana will be represented at Miss World 2026 by Ruth Thomas, 24. It is the 73rd edition of the international beauty pageant based in London, England, United Kingdom.
Thomas is a beauty advisor with a bachelor’s degree in clothing and textile. She hails from Masunga, a Bakalanga settlement in the North-East District of Botswana.
Nestled in the rolling hills of northeast Botswana, Masunga serves as the vibrant administrative headquarters of the North East District. Seamlessly blending modern civic governance with deep-rooted cultural heritage, the village thrives under the leadership of its regional chief called kgosi at the traditional kgotla, which remains the central, trusted hub for community decisions and customary law.
“The greatest gift we have is the privilege to learn from our elders,” Thomas wrote on social media on June 12, 2026. “The calm assurance of knowing you don’t have to walk alone. When purpose meets community.”
Miss Botswana 2025
On March 23, 2024, Ezra Neethlings performed during the Miss Botswana 2024 coronation ceremony at the Royal Aria in Tlokweng, South-East District, Botswana where 10 candidates competed for the title. The winner and her runners-up were:
- Miss Botswana 2024: Anicia Gaothusi
- 1st runner-up: Halle Hirschfield
- 2nd runner-up: Sebaga Manyapedza
On March 22, 2025, Gaothusi crowned her successor at The Grand Palm Hotel Casino Convention Resort in Gaborone, Botswana. It was the 57th edition of the national beauty pageant that has been sending Botswana’s representative to Miss World since 1972.
A total of 10 finalists competed for the title. The winner and her runners-up were:
- Miss Botswana 2025: Ruth Thomas
- 1st runner-up: Selwana Motsemeng
- 2nd runner-up: Girly Kookilwe
Miss World 2025
On May 31, 2025, Gaothusi represented Botswana at Miss World 2025 and competed against 107 other candidates at the HITEX Exhibition Centre in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. She finished in the Top 40.
Sachiin Kumbhar and Stephanie Del Valle hosted the coronation ceremony, which featured performances by Ishaan Khatter and Jacqueline Fernandez. The winner and her runners-up were:
- Miss World 2025: Suchata Chuangsri (Thailand)
- 1st runner-up: Hasset Dereje (Ethiopia)
- 2nd runner-up: Maja Klajda (Poland)
- 3rd runner-up: Aurélie Joachim (Martinique)
Miss World 2026
From August 9, 2026 to September 5, 2026, Thomas will be in Vietnam to compete for the Miss World 2026 crown. Among her fellow African candidates are:
- Noura Raïssa Njikam, 26, Cameroon
- Maria de los Angeles Ndong, Equatorial Guinea
- Ruth Yirgalem Weldesilasie, 21, Ethiopia
- Ivy Trizah Muhenje, Kenya
- Shreeya Bokhoree, 23, Mauritius
- Elly Penomwene Aron, 20, Namibia
- Tamunosoye Karibi-George, 26, Nigeria
- Qhawekazi Mazaleni, 24, South Africa
- Latricia Ian, 24, Tanzania
- Nadiratou Afolabi, 21, Togo
- Elle Muhoza, 22, Uganda
- Adah Mushibi, 26, Zambia
- Brunette Makanyiso, 26, Zimbabwe
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