🏆 Jo and Kush have been crowned the winners of Race Across the World 2026 after a breathtaking final leg across Mongolia that left viewers emotional, exhausted and cheering from their sofas.
The best friends secured victory in one of the most dramatic finales the BBC series has ever seen, reaching the final checkpoint beside a freezing, snow-covered lake in Hatgal to discover the guest book was still completely empty ❄️
That unforgettable moment confirmed what they had dreamed of from the very beginning.
They had done it.
They had won.
“We did it. We won!” the pair shouted in disbelief, overwhelmed by the scale of what they had achieved after weeks of punishing travel, brutal decisions and emotional highs and lows.
Kush could barely find the words, admitting: “I can’t put it into words, bro!” Jo, just as stunned, replied that he felt exactly the same.
Later, Jo reflected on the surreal moment of opening the final book and seeing no other names inside.
“The dream from the start was opening the final book and seeing it empty,” he said emotionally. “And it actually happened. It’s hard to get my head around it.” ❤️
For Kush, the win carried deep hometown pride.
“I hope we did Liverpool proud,” he said. “Big up scousers!”
The final episode followed the remaining teams from Kharkhorin to Hatgal, forcing them to make one last agonising choice: take a longer but safer paved route involving taxis, buses and trains, or gamble on a shorter, harsher route through remote terrain that relied heavily on hitchhiking.
Jo and Kush, who began the final leg in the lead, chose the daring direct route — a decision that nearly backfired after a scheduling snag in Ulaanbaatar left them fearing they had thrown everything away 😳
“We may have made a really bad decision,” Jo admitted at one tense point.
But their gamble ultimately paid off.
Behind them, Harrison and Katie, Molly and Andrew, and Mark and Margo were all fighting desperately to close the gap in a finale packed with chaos, stress and near disasters.
Molly and Andrew endured one of the most painful setbacks of the episode when a map misunderstanding sent them to the wrong Jargalant, forcing them into a brutal 400km detour. The mistake left them in tears, but they refused to give up, later earning money by herding cattle at a homestay before rejoining the race 💔
Their resilience won huge admiration from viewers, even as the error crushed their hopes of catching the leaders.
Harrison and Katie relied on the kindness of strangers to make up time despite leaving nearly a day later, while Mark and Margo battled to the finish after falling 400km behind and running dangerously low on funds.
By the final stretch, every team had been transformed by the journey.
Kush spoke lovingly about wanting to treat his younger brothers to burgers and milkshakes and help his mum with her property dreams. Jo said the race had inspired him to see more of the world. Mark vowed to live with more spontaneity, while Margo cherished how the journey had helped her feel closer to the memory of her late sister ✨
Andrew praised Molly’s strength, Katie realised just how resilient she really was, and Harrison vowed to embrace life more fully.
But in the end, the night belonged to Jo and Kush.
The Liverpool best friends reached the final checkpoint first, claiming the £20,000 prize and sealing their place in Race Across the World history.
Molly and Andrew finished second, Harrison and Katie came third, and Mark and Margo arrived 25 hours later — exhausted but proud after completing an extraordinary adventure.
Fans flooded social media with praise for the winners and the entire cast, with many admitting they had been moved to tears.
“I am SO pleased for Jo and Kush, I could literally cry,” one viewer wrote.
Another added: “Made up for those lads winning. Great bunch of contestants.”
And that is exactly why this finale hit so hard.
It was not just about routes, budgets or checkpoints. It was about friendship, courage, mistakes, resilience and ordinary people discovering just how far they could go when everything was on the line.
For Jo and Kush, the journey ended in snow, tears and triumph.
And yes — after that incredible win, milkshakes all round feel more than deserved 🏆🥤✨
