Nigeria’s representative at the 2026 Miss World pageant, Tamunosoye Karibi-George, has earned a place in the competition’s Top 40 after emerging as the winner of the Africa Top Model title in Vietnam.
Karibi-George secured the feat on Thursday during the Top Model competition held as part of the Vietnam Beauty Fashion Fest XVII, themed “Soul of Heritage.”
Her victory automatically guarantees her a spot in the Top 40 quarterfinals, where she will represent the African continent alongside contestants who qualify through other fast-track categories.
The Miss World Organisation announced Karibi-George as Africa’s continental Top Model winner, alongside winners from the Americas and Caribbean, Europe, and Asia and Oceania.
The other continental winners were representatives of the Dominican Republic, France and Vietnam.
The organisation said the four winners earned their places in the Top 40 after distinguishing themselves during the Top Model challenge.
The organisers stated that the overall Top Model winner would be selected from the four continental winners and would receive a direct ticket to the Top 20.
The Top 40 will comprise 10 contestants from each continent, while the remaining qualifiers will emerge through other fast-track challenges, including People’s Choice, Beauty With a Purpose, Head-to-Head and Multimedia.
Karibi-George had previously participated in the Head-to-Head Challenge, where she progressed to the African finals.
She defeated contestants from Equatorial Guinea, Botswana, Kenya and South Africa to claim the African Top Model title, while South Africa’s Romanda Hombir won her country’s continental round.
The 26-year-old Port Harcourt-born beauty was crowned Miss World Nigeria 2026 on June 6 at the Balmoral Hall of the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos.
She represented Bayelsa State at the national competition and succeeded Joy Mojisola Raimi, who finished among the Top 20 at the previous Miss World edition.
Beyond pageantry, Karibi-George is a communications professional and an associate of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations.
She is also the founder of Beyond Labels, an initiative dedicated to promoting inclusion and empowering children with special needs.
Before winning the Miss World Nigeria crown, she was crowned Miss Africa International 2024 in Accra, Ghana.
With her Top Model victory, Karibi-George has now strengthened Nigeria’s hopes of securing a strong finish at the 2026 Miss World competition.
