Miss Universe: Miss Côte d’Ivoire 2025 Fatima Koné sidelined? Former miss contestants are being solicited
Crowned Miss Côte d’Ivoire 2025, Fatima Koné will not automatically represent her country at Miss Universe. The crown is no longer enough, and from now on, it has to be deserved again for Miss Universe. This is the strong message sent by the Miss Côte d’Ivoire Committee (Comici) this year 2025.
SUMMARY
There’s no automatic link between Miss Côte d’Ivoire and Miss Universe anymore. Fatima Koné, crowned national beauty queen on June 28, 2025, will not participate by default in the Miss Universe contest, unlike her predecessors. The reason is an ambitious reform of the selection process.
Comici introduces a preparation incubator, a mechanism that will host several former Misses and runner-ups from previous editions. Objective: to train them, coach them, evaluate them, and retain only one—the one deemed most capable of defending Ivorian colors on the world stage.
“It’s not specifically the reigning Misses who will go to Miss Universe. We will look into the Comici’s pool of previous Misses,” explained Thierry Coffie, General Secretary of the Committee, on national television.
A Selective Incubator
According to organizers, this change is aimed at raising the preparation level of candidates, relying on experience, media skills, and social engagement.
The young women selected to join the incubator must show solid maturity and background. The Miss Universe contest indeed requires much more than a title: it demands a stage presence, mastery of communication, a strong cause to defend, and a deep understanding of international issues.
The announcement of this reform is sparking lively debates on social media. Some applaud a “more meritocratic” approach, which values excellence over merely holding a title.
Others, however, believe that the reigning Miss should naturally be the priority, as traditionally done. Comici, for its part, stands by its stance and asserts that “There is a need to adapt to the increasing demands of international contests”.
For her part, Fatima Koné continues to fulfill her duties as Miss Côte d’Ivoire 2025. However, nothing prevents her from applying to the incubator. If she convinces, she can also clinch her spot for Miss Universe. Otherwise, Côte d’Ivoire will be represented by another queen, filtered through this new mechanism.
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