Canada arrives at the 75th Miss Universe with a delegate whose personal story of migration, advocacy, and resilience makes her one of the most compelling profiles in the entire field. Carrying the Canadian flag to San Juan, Puerto Rico is Aslihan Morali – a Turkish-Canadian entrepreneur, education advocate, and community leader from Ancaster, Ontario.
Aslihan Morali was crowned Miss Universe Canada 2026 on Saturday, August 8, at the Chrysler Theatre in Windsor, succeeding outgoing titleholder Jaime VandenBerg. She becomes the 75th Miss Universe Canada – a fitting milestone for a competition celebrating its own 75th anniversary internationally this year.
Born in Türkiye, Aslihan immigrated to Canada with her family as a child, raised by a single mother. She has spoken openly about growing up in an immigrant household and helping her family navigate life in a new country — an experience that has shaped her entire platform. As she put it in her own words: “My family, refusing to accept this fate, brought me to Canada, seeking a greater future and the ability to choose my own destiny. Inspired by the opportunities I found, I am now fighting for the 12 million girls facing the same destiny.”
That fight has a name — LEAP Global Voices, an empowerment initiative Aslihan founded to help young people, particularly girls, build confidence and access opportunity through education. She works professionally in higher education and has built her advocacy directly around the barriers she once faced herself.
Aslihan is no stranger to the international stage. She previously represented Canada at Miss Supranational 2025 in Poland, where she was awarded Miss Congeniality – a title that speaks to the warmth and connection she builds with fellow competitors, judges, and audiences alike.
She succeeds a particularly emotional chapter for Miss Universe Canada — outgoing titleholder Jaime VandenBerg, who competed at Miss Universe 2025 while four months pregnant, made her farewell walk at the Windsor coronation carrying her daughter in her arms, passing the torch to Aslihan in a deeply symbolic moment for a competition that has evolved significantly in recent years.
Pageanthology’s Assessment:
Aslihan Morali brings genuine substance to the Canadian sash – an immigrant story, a real platform in education equity, and prior international pageant experience that most first-time Miss Universe delegates don’t have. Her Miss Congeniality win at Miss Supranational shows she connects easily with people, a quality that consistently translates well at Miss Universe. Canada has a strong recent Miss Universe history and Aslihan has every tool needed to add to it.