Marina Saleeb, 27, is the Miss International 2026 representative of Canada. She is an entrepreneur and the founder of Rent A Gown TO, a circular fashion business that gives pageant gowns and formalwear a second life while making them more accessible.
Miss International 2025
On November 27, 2025, Rachel Murgel represented Canada at Miss International 2025 at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. She competed against 79 other candidates including Catalina Duque of Colombia, who won the title.
The respective first, second, third and fourth runners-up were Yollanda Chimbarami of Zimbabwe, Paola Guzman of Bolivia, Melliza Xaviera of Indonesia and Myrna Esguerra of the Philippines. Chimbarami was Miss International Africa 2025, Farrah Grant of Turks and Caicos Islands was Miss International Americas 2025, Katrina Wan of Macau was Miss International Asia Pacific 2025 and Sophie Wallace of the United Kingdom was Miss International Europe 2025.
Murgel finished in the Top 10. Ai Nozaki of Japan finished in the Top 20.
Miss International 2026
On June 15, 2026, it was announced that Miss International 2026 will have no swimsuit competition, which will be replaced by a sportswear segment, and no selection of continental queens. This is the 64th edition of the international beauty pageant based in Tokyo.
On September 29, 2026, Duque will turn 27. On November 25, 2026, she will crown her successor at the Tokyo Dome City Hall in Bunkyo, Tokyo.
Including Saleeb, more than 70 women will compete for the title. Here are some her fellow candidates:
- Alessia Surreli, 20, Albania
- Kimleang Sokea, 26, Cambodia
- María Antonia “Tutu” Mosquera Carvajal, 26, Colombia
- Rachel Chang, 27, Cuba
- Samiah Booi, 27, Curacao
- Laura Glozarová, 18, Czech Republic
- Gisselle Rosales, 22, Ecuador
- Léna Vairac, 26, France
- Marlene Laura Jose, 22, Germany
- Christabel Lamptey, 21, Ghana
- Maria Apostolaki, 22, Greece
- Elise Miguel, Guam
- Melina Birk, 26, Guatemala
- Nicole Alia Ke’ala Kāhealani Sakaguchi, Hawaii
- Annette Christiansen, 28, Honduras
- Clarisse Achard, 25, Hong Kong
- Victoria Veronica Titisari Kosasieputri, 26, Indonesia (Victoria Kosasie)
- Asia Wright, 21, Jamaica
- Michiru Yakuwa, 25, Japan
- Wenwei Yap, 28, Malaysia
- Elizaveta Kuznetsova, 26, Moldova
- Khuslen Shirendev, 23, Mongolia
- Isabel Soleil, 25, Netherlands
- Allison Roa-Sauz, 20, New Zealand
- Damilola Bolarinde, 29, Nigeria
- Bárbara Vázquez, 25, Paraguay
- Valentina Andreón, 20, Peru
- Katrina Anne Castañeda Johnson, 28, Philippines
- Janessa Yang, 24, Singapore
- Su-yeon Jang, 19, South Korea
- Laura Dowell, 24, Spain
- Annie Chen, Taiwan
- Jeanne Afandonougbo, 21, Togo
- Adesha Gustave, 18, Turks and Caicos
- Brittany Feeney, 28, United Kingdom
- Alejandra Ranaudo, 27, United States Virgin Islands
- Valeria Di Martino, 21, Venezuela
- Khánh Như Lê, 22, Vietnam
- Ruvimbo Njomboro, 23, Zimbabwe
From Toronto to Tokyo
Hailing from Belleville, Ontario, Canada, Murgel was 24 years old when she competed at Miss International 2025 in Tokyo. Saleeb hails from Toronto, Ontario, which is around 189 kilometers away from Belleville.
Toronto and Tokyo share a powerful modern connection rooted in economic synergy, urban innovation, and vibrant cultural exchange. Despite being separated by thousands of miles across the Pacific Ocean and the North American continent, both metropolises serve as crucial international transit hubs and economic powerhouses.
Tokyo drives Asia’s technology, finance, and manufacturing sectors, while Toronto stands as Canada’s primary financial center and a burgeoning tech hub. Direct, non-stop flights between Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and Toronto Pearson International enable a steady flow of business leadership, academic researchers, and international trade.
The human connection between the two cities is equally profound. Toronto is home to a thriving Japanese-Canadian community, which has deeply enriched the city’s world-renowned multicultural fabric.
From bustling izakayas and high-end sushi bars in downtown Toronto to major cultural institutions like the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre, Tokyo’s culinary and artistic influences are woven into Toronto’s daily life. This relationship culminates annually in springtime when thousands of Torontonians flock to High Park to admire the sakura (cherry blossom) trees—a lasting gift of Japanese friendship presented by the citizens of Tokyo in 1959, and an enduring symbol of the bond between these two global cities.
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