The winners of BBC One's Race Across the World 2026 have been crowned following an enormously tense final episode. After racing more than 12,000 kilometers through Europe and Asia across the world's largest continental landmass, Jo and Kush became the first pair to reach the final checkpoint in Hatgal, Mongolia, and claim the £20,000 prize.
A Nail-Biting Finish
Sprinting through snow-covered forests to reach the finish line, father and daughter Andrew and Molly came in second place, just three hours behind the winners. They were followed by siblings Katie and Harrison, while in-laws Mark and Margo finished in fourth place.
Claiming that they 'felt sick' before turning the page to discover they were this year's winners, the Liverpool duo Jo and Kush celebrated their victory by piling on top of one another in the snow while shouting, 'We did it. We won!' Screaming with joy, Kush said, 'I can't put it into words bro!' as Jo added, 'That's how I feel bro.'
Writing their names in the book, Jo then said: 'The dream from the start was opening the final book and seeing it empty, so that actually happening… it's hard to get my head around it.' Kush continued: 'I hope we did Liverpool proud. Big up scousers!'
Emotional Reactions from Other Contestants
Sharing an emotional hug after turning the page to claim second place, Andrew said: 'Congratulations to the boys. We had a tough final leg… We're three hours behind the lads. What an achievement.' Molly added: 'I didn't actually physically think we were going to make it, but we did it!'
Siblings Katie and Harrison arrived at the checkpoint in third place, just under three hours behind the father and daughter duo, after catching up by eighteen hours to the winners. Harrison said: 'We couldn't have done this any better this leg, and we've made it to Hatgal. And we've done it together. I could still just cry with pride and joy that we're here.'
After a tough penultimate leg, Mark and Margo reached the final checkpoint in last place, 25 hours later. Thrilled to finally finish, Mark said: 'I couldn't have done it without you Marg, a true friend. And Julia would be really proud of us!' An emotional Margo added: 'We haven't won THE race, but we've won OUR race and we have come in fashionably late.'
The Epic Journey
Over the eight-part series, the four pairs raced over 12,000 kilometers over 51 days. Starting the race in the sun-soaked streets of Palermo in Sicily, the teams journeyed across Eurasia to reach the final checkpoint in northern Mongolia, Hatgal. They had to navigate crowds, cultural barriers, and public transport disasters—all without smartphones and bank cards, carrying only the cash equivalent of flying the route.
Straight after the final episode of Race Across the World, the teams returned for a reunion at 9pm on BBC One.
Andrew's Health Scare
This comes after fans were left in tears after Andrew shared his terrifying health setback. Speaking to the camera, his daughter Molly said: 'This is his opportunity to prove to himself that he can do it. Because three years ago my daddy had a heart attack, and it was probably the worst day of my life. That really shook me and I think it really shook him. Daddy realized he wasn't invincible.'
All episodes of Race Across the World are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
