Race Across the World fans thrilled as Jo and Kush are crowned this year’s winners of BBC show

Jo and Kush are the winners of Race Across the World 2026 after a dramatic final leg through the snowy landscapes of Mongolia.
The best friends reached the eighth and final checkpoint first and opened the guest book to discover it was empty.
In a first for the BBC series, the final checkpoint was set in deep snow beside a freezing lake.
As they arrived, the pair shouted: “We did it. We won!”

Jo and Kush are the winners of Race Across the World 2026 (Credit: BBC)

Kush then told his friend: “I can’t put it into words bro!” Jo replied: “That’s how I feel bro.”
Reflecting on their win, Jo 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 added: “I hope we did Liverpool proud. Big up scousers!”
Close behind them were Harrison and Katie, and Molly and Andrew.
The three teams found themselves racing head to head in the final stretch after a tense and unpredictable last leg.
Mark and his sister in law Margo also completed the race despite falling 400km behind the other teams.
Race Across the World 2026 final
Tonight’s episode saw the teams travel from Kharkhorin to Hatgal in Mongolia.
They were given two route choices. One offered paved roads and transport options including taxis, buses and trains. However, it added a 500km detour to the journey.
The second option was more direct but involved mountains, dirt tracks and relying entirely on hitchhiking.
Jo and Kush left first after winning leg seven. They picked the direct route and hitchhiked to Ulaanbaatar to catch a train.
However, after arriving, they discovered there were no trains until the following evening.
Jo admitted: “We may have made a really bad decision.”
Andrew and Molly left next and also chose the direct route. With a healthy amount of money left in their budget, they paid for private taxis.

Molly and Andrew had a big disaster during their final leg (Credit: BBC)