Hyderabad: There’s a certain kind of quiet confidence with which Hyderabad has gone about hosting the world’s most storied beauty pageant — and now, as Miss World 2025 enters its final stretch, that approach is being noticed.
The 72nd edition, running since early May, has brought together over a hundred delegates from across the globe. But what’s unfolded here over the past few weeks has looked less like a pageant and more like a celebration of common ground — a city’s heritage, shared ambitions, and the voices of women speaking beyond the crown.
Earlier this week, the Head-to-Head Challenge wrapped to strong applause. Contestants from countries as far apart as Japan and Kenya, Finland and the Philippines, stepped forward with striking clarity. Mauritius, Brazil, South Africa, and the United States also made a mark. Their words — sharp, thoughtful, and grounded in real-world issues — turned a televised contest into something far weightier. These weren’t rehearsed lines; they were lived experiences.
And it’s not just the contestants turning heads.
Hyderabad, in its own understated way, has become the heartbeat of this edition. The scent of biryani wafting through historic lanes, impromptu lessons in Kuchipudi, late-night conversations over Irani chai — these moments, scattered and unscripted, are what the delegates will take home. Culture here isn’t curated; it breathes.
Officials from the Miss World Organisation, some of whom have worked on multiple editions, have called this one “a standout”. Not just for the logistics, though the event’s scale has been handled with precision, but for the texture of the experience. It has felt lived-in, local, and yet undeniably global.
In the end, it’s not the gowns or tiaras that people will remember. It’s what was said, shared, and felt. And it’s fair to say: Hyderabad didn’t just host Miss World. It changed the tone.
