Mia Dio —full name Mia Angelina Donadio Cancio— won the crown of Miss Universe Cuba 2026 on Thursday night in Miami, becoming the new Cuban queen heading to the international pageant.
The 25-year-old young woman, representing Isla de la Juventud, triumphed among 19 finalist candidates. The crown was placed by Lina Luaces, Miss Universe Cuba 2025, who concluded her reign on the Miami stage.
A second chance made crown
For Mia Dio, victory has a special taste: she had already competed in the 2025 edition, also with the Isla de la Juventud band, reaching the Top 5 and winning Miss Popularity.
That participation was marked by a dramatic episode: days before the final gala, she suffered facial paralysis caused by a poorly administered Botox injection. Nevertheless, she competed and made it to the top five.
In 2026 she decided to try again and from the early months of the competition, she became one of the audience's favorites. The organization celebrated her victory with a message that encapsulates her story: “Second chances do exist, and it’s never too late to fight for a dream.”
From Miami to social media: who is Mia Dio
Born in Miami, daughter of a Cuban mother and an Argentine father, Mia Dio grew up feeling, in her own words, "too American for Latinos and too Latina for Americans."
Her career in entertainment began completely by accident during the pandemic: she accidentally published a TikTok parody in public mode that garnered 23 million views. "In the first month, I had a million followers; by the second month, two million; by the third, three million. At that point, I was already in Los Angeles doing interviews. I couldn't believe this was happening to me," she shared in an interview with Netinfluencer.
Today, she surpasses 5 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. In 2021, she had already tried her luck on television by participating in Nuestra Belleza Latina on Univision, presenting herself as a Cuban-Argentine comedian from Miami.
Her entry into the world of competitions was also unconventional: in February 2025, she sneaked onto the Premio Lo Nuestro red carpet pretending to be a celebrity, and there she met the director of the Cuban franchise, who invited her to the casting three days later. "I'm not famous, at least not yet. I snuck onto a red carpet and made everyone believe I was a celebrity, and this story just gets crazier because it ends with a Miss Universe casting," she herself shared.
The voice that Cuba needs
Beyond beauty and humor, Mia Dio has turned her platform into a megaphone for the Cuban cause, doing so without filters.
His anti-Castro roots run deep: his grandfather José "Pepe" Cancio was a member of Brigade 2506, which participated in the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, and he is a relative of Sylvia Iriondo, president of M.A.R. por Cuba.
She has published content with the slogan "Homeland and Life," commemorated the 11J, and in June 2026 paid tribute to the Ladies in White appearing dressed in white with gladioli in front of the Cuban flag.
He can raise his voice without restrictions because, unlike many Cuban influencers who avoid politics for fear of reprisals against family members on the island, his entire family managed to leave: "I don’t have any relatives in Cuba. I have the privilege that all my family members eventually left. So I can say what I want, and what are they going to do to me or my family? They can do nothing."
During the final gala, that same energy filled the stage: most of the finalists expressed among their wishes the desire to see Cuba free, an idea that was reiterated several times before the audience.
With the crown on, Mia Dio will represent Cuba at Miss Universe 2026, which will take place in November at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico — the same island she has called home since 2023 and which, in her own words, "healed me."
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