Meet this year’s Race Across the World teams hoping to bag the huge cash prize

Race Across the World will see five new teams traverse across two continents this year as they go head-to-head for the £20,000 prize.

The contestants will work in their pairs as they navigate a gruelling 12,000km route across Europe and Asia.

Just like in previous series, the teams will be stripped of their phones before they start.

They will also have a very limited cash budget as they make their mammoth journey.

Winning Race Across the World all comes down to careful budgeting, planning and relying on strangers for help.

Here’s the 2026 teams who will be gracing our screens over the next few weeks. Let’s go!

Race Across the World 2026 teams: Friends Jo and Kush

Jo and Kush are childhood best friends. Jo, 19, is currently studying at college. His pal Kush is also 19 and is in his gap year.

Given the pair still live at home with their mums in Liverpool, Race Across the World is their first ever taste of freedom.

Jo and Kush believe their age will actually work in their favour. Ahead of the show, Kush said: “I think that being young, we will kind of hopefully be brushed over like we don’t have the experience, and then we can secretly work in silence and take over.”

The friends have paid close attention to previous series and what the teams packed. They have made sure they have a white board and pens, so they’re able to draw things like buses to make themselves understood.

Jo and Kush aren’t wildly thrilled about giving up their phones. In fact, Kush even describes going without their devices as a “shock”.

Katie and Harrison: Brother and sister

Brother and sister duo, Katie and Harrison, are hoping to follow in the footsteps of Roman Kemp and Harleymoon Kemp.

Harrison, a finance assistant, is the older brother at 23, while account manager Katie is 21. The siblings are from Manchester and say their “bond” will see them through.

They have assigned themselves specific roles, with Harrison on “money control” and Katie on “snack control”.

Molly and Andrew: Father and daughter

Molly hopes their time together will prove to her dad Andrew that she is more independent than he thinks.

The 23-year-old junior doctor teams up with her 54-year-old geography teacher father from Northern Ireland.

Molly says her strength is being able to talk to anyone, while Andrew jokes her weakness is that she “never shuts up”.

Cousins Puja and Roshni

Puja and Roshni are cousins from London who are ready to swap their careers for adventure.

Puja, 31, is a doctor, while 32-year-old Roshni is a software engineer.

While they’re close, Roshni admits she tends to panic when things go wrong, and her strict cleanliness habits could cause friction during the race.

In-laws Mark and Margo: Bonded by loss

Mark and Margo bring a deeply emotional story to this year’s race.

The pair are brother and sister-in-law, brought closer together after caring for Mark’s wife – Margo’s sister – before she sadly died.

Now, they’re taking on Race Across the World as a way to move forward together.

“It’s a continuation of journeys of caring for Julia,” Mark says. “It’s the next step.”

Margo adds that the experience feels like “a renewal” after their shared loss.

Held at knifepoint

Margo also brings some serious travel experience – including a frightening moment in Costa Rica where she was once held at knifepoint while backpacking.

Despite that, she’s ready to take on the challenge again – this time with Mark by her side.

• Race Across the World starts at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Thursday April 2, 2026

Read more: Race Across The World’s gruelling route revealed as this year’s contestants cross two continents to win £20,000

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