Miss Universe 2025 shock exits: the contestants who won’t be competing and why

Miss Germany 2025, Diana Fast, revealed on November 3 that she was withdrawing from the Miss Universe competition for the sake of her family. “I am endlessly grateful to be part of the Miss Universe family, surrounded by incredible women who inspire, uplift, and embody true purpose,” she said in a statement. However, “after deep reflection,” she decided she will “not be traveling to Thailand.” She added: “As a devoted mother and while currently building a new home by myself for my family, I’ve chosen to stay close to my son during this important phase of our lives.”

Miss Universe Persia 2025, Sahar Biniaz, announced in October that she was leaving the pageant in solidarity with her national director, Golshan Barazesh, who had been detained during a visit to Iran. “Out of deep respect and concern for her safety and well-being, I’ve made the difficult decision to withdraw from this year’s competition,” Sahar wrote in a heartfelt message on social media.

2025 was going to be the first time Niger would take part in Miss Universe, but unfortunately for contestant Zoulahatou Amadou, things didn’t go to plan. “My plane ticket arrived too late, and the available flights no longer allowed me to reach Bangkok in time,” she explained. Thankfully, organizers have invited Zoulahatou to compete in the 2026 edition. 

After being chosen to represent China at the 74th Miss Universe competition, Xuhe Hou resigned due to “personal reasons,” reportedly tied to the organization’s age restrictions. Now, runner-up Zhao Na is representing China in her place.

Déborah Djema was stripped of her honor to represent the Democratic Republic of the Congo and forced to remove all traces of her coronation from social media in September after she refused to sign her contract. Dorcas Dienda Kasinde is now vying for the Miss Universe 2025 crown after the first and second runners-up were unavailable due to prior commitments.

Bahrain, Cameroon, Cyprus, Eritrea, Fiji, Gibraltar, Kenya, the Maldives, Mongolia, Montenegro, Samoa, Somalia, and Uzbekistan will not be represented at Miss Universe 2025 as several of the countries were unable to hold national pageants or finalize their candidate selections before the competition began.