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 competition.
The 25-year-old 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 crowned
For Mia Dio, victory has a special taste: she had already competed in the 2025 edition, also with the team from Isla de la Juventud, 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 summarizes her story: "Second chances do exist, and it's never too late to fight for a dream again."
From Miami to the networks: who is Mia Dio
Born in Miami, the 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 during the pandemic completely by accident: she mistakenly posted a TikTok parody publicly, which garnered 23 million views. "By 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, he surpasses 5 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. In 2021, he had already tried his luck in television by participating in Nuestra Belleza Latina on Univision, presenting himself as a Cuban-Argentinian comedian from Miami.
Her entry into the world of contests was also unconventional: in February 2025, she sneaked onto the Premio Lo Nuestro red carpet posing as 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 crashed 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 recounted.
The voice that Cuba needs
Beyond beauty and humor, Mia Dio has turned her platform into a megaphone for the Cuban cause, and she does so without filters.
His anti-Castro roots run deep: his grandfather José "Pepe" Cancio was a member of Brigade 2506, which took part in the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, and he is related to 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 gladiolas in front of the Cuban flag.
He can speak out freely because, unlike many Cuban influencers who steer clear of politics out of 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 got out. So I can say whatever I want, and what are they going to do to me or my family? They can't do anything."
During the final gala, that same energy filled the stage: most of the finalists expressed a desire to see a free Cuba, an idea that was echoed 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 that, in her own words, "healed me."
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