Indira Ampiot, representing France at the Miss World 2026 pageant in Vietnam, was named on Friday as one of 14 European finalists in the competition's Top Model Challenge.
The 21-year-old beauty queen from Guadeloupe earned her spot in the runway category after a successful fashion show performance on Monday, despite missing out on a placement in the earlier sports challenge.
Taking to her Instagram story following the announcement, Ampiot said she was delighted with her selection. One of the 14 European finalists will win a guaranteed spot in the competition's top 40 during the Top Model event on August 28, ahead of the grand finale on September 5.
Ampiot is also mounting a strong campaign in the public vote, currently leading the standings among European contestants ahead of beauty queens from Bulgaria and Gibraltar.
Public voting and fast track qualification
Online voting for the People's Choice award is open until September 4 and is conducted by continental group. The contestant who receives the highest total number of votes worldwide across all regions will qualify directly for the top six of Miss World 2026.
In the Americas and Caribbean group, Miss French Guiana Audrey Ho-Wen-Tsaï is currently holding the top spot in the standings.
The Miss World competition has brought 111 candidates to Vietnam this year. The contestants moved to a new base camp in the country after completing their first two weeks of pageant activities. Ampiot previously won the Miss France 2023 title after representing her home region of Guadeloupe, a French overseas department in the Caribbean.
Emotional tribute to family cancer battle
Alongside her success in the preliminary challenges, Ampiot shared an emotional update on social media regarding her charitable project for the pageant's Beauty with a Purpose segment. Appearing in tears in an Instagram story, she explained that she does not cry easily but felt she needed to let her emotions out when speaking about the initiative.
Ampiot has championed cancer awareness since her first pageant victory as Miss Basse-Terre. Speaking before her departure for Vietnam, she said she grew up watching her grandmother fight cancer for a decade, from the time Ampiot was seven until she was 17, and could not imagine choosing any other cause given her work with healthcare staff and charity groups.
She paid tribute to her late grandmother, known as Mamie Lili, in a video posted on the official Miss World website. The video concludes with a sequence filmed at her grandmother's grave in Guadeloupe. Ampiot said before leaving for the pageant that even though her grandmother is no longer alive, it feels as though she remains present with her.
On Friday, all 111 candidates took part in a breast cancer run in Vietnam. Ampiot described the alignment of the race with her personal charitable mission as a sign of fate.
