Amazing Race 2026 cast details are now officially confirmed, with CBS introducing 13 teams for Season 39 as the competition begins its latest global journey. The new season premiered on September 30, 2026, with a two-night launch continuing October 1. The cast includes professional soccer players, parents, siblings, childhood friends, a grandfather and grandson, and several married or dating couples.
Season 39 is hosted by Phil Keoghan and features 26 contestants competing in pairs for the $1 million grand prize. The race begins in Vancouver, Canada, before taking the teams through five continents, nine countries and 13 cities. CBS says the route covers more than 25,000 miles.
The 2026 cast also enters the competition under a major new twist. Every team receives an Express Pass at the start of the race. All 13 passes must be used by the end of the sixth leg, creating a strategic decision that can affect how teams approach the early stages of the competition.
Amazing Race 2026 Cast: Complete List of Teams
CBS officially announced the Season 39 cast in August 2026. The lineup contains 13 teams, each with a different relationship and background.
Here is the confirmed cast:
| Team | Relationship | Ages | Background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ali Krieger & Joanna Lohman | Pro athletes and moms | 42, 44 | Professional soccer |
| Ann-Marie Tejcek & Riley Tejcek | Mother and daughter | 56, 29 | Healthcare executive and Marine officer |
| Anuar Tager & Andrea Tager Ballesca | Father and daughter | 58, 25 | Developer and medical student |
| Cody Langlois & Jaime Tribo | Siblings | 35, 33 | Civil engineer and dietitian |
| Conner Wilson & Garrett McGuire | Childhood friends | 27, 27 | Media producer and engineer |
| Dafina Dunmore & Saran Dunmore | Sisters and best friends | 52, 51 | Bond analyst/DJ and personal trainer |
| Daisha Wilks & Dalton Hamby | Dating | 28, 27 | Videographers |
| Doug Matter & Dylan Matter | Grandfather and grandson | 73, 19 | Retired fire chief and college student |
| Erin Taylor & Javi Vintimilla | Married | 28, 30 | Human resources executive and pilot |
| Jody Rebhun & Jenn Naso | Best friends and moms | 44, 44 | History teacher and forensic scientist |
| Katie Schultz & Charlotte Schultz | Sisters | 26, 20 | Estheticians |
| Michelle & Matthew Patterson | Married parents | 31, 36 | Auto body shop owner/real estate agent and business operations director |
| Zach & Nate Johnson | Brothers | 30, 27 | Car salesman/co-founder and sales director |
The complete lineup and contestant descriptions come directly from CBS and Paramount’s official cast announcement.
Ali Krieger and Joanna Lohman
Ali Krieger and Joanna Lohman enter the race as professional athletes and mothers. Krieger is 42, while Lohman is 44.
Krieger brings extensive international soccer experience to the competition. CBS identifies her as a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion with the U.S. Women’s National Team, winning in 2015 and 2019.
She also competed at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Her professional achievements include a UEFA Women’s Champions League title with 1. FFC Frankfurt and an NWSL championship with Gotham FC in 2023.
Lohman also has a long professional soccer background. She played for the U.S. Women’s National Team and several professional clubs, including Washington Freedom, Philadelphia Independence, Boston Breakers and Washington Spirit.
Their athletic backgrounds make them one of the most recognizable teams in the Season 39 lineup.
Ann-Marie Tejcek and Riley Tejcek
The mother-daughter duo joins the Season 39 cast as one of the competition’s family teams.
Ann-Marie is 56 and works as a healthcare executive. Riley, 29, is a Marine officer. The two are based in Carmel, Indiana, and San Diego, California, respectively.
Their pairing adds a family dynamic to a cast that includes several different generations.
Anuar Tager and Andrea Tager Ballesca
Father and daughter Anuar Tager and Andrea Tager Ballesca make up another family pairing in Season 39.
Anuar, 58, is a developer from Houston, Texas. His daughter Andrea, 25, is a medical student.
Their different professional backgrounds place them among the season’s family teams, with experience in development and medicine represented within the same partnership.
Cody Langlois and Jaime Tribo
Siblings Cody Langlois and Jaime Tribo also take on the international race.
Langlois, 35, is a civil engineer from Los Angeles, California. Tribo, 33, is a dietitian based in Tinley Park, Illinois.
The siblings are one of several family partnerships competing in Season 39.
Conner Wilson and Garrett McGuire
Conner Wilson and Garrett McGuire are childhood friends from California.
Both are 27. Wilson works as a media producer and comes from Loomis, California, while McGuire is an engineer from Rocklin, California.
Their long friendship gives the pair a different relationship dynamic from the married, dating and family teams elsewhere in the cast.
Dafina and Saran Dunmore
The Chicago-based sisters, Dafina and Saran Dunmore, enter the competition as close friends and teammates.
Dafina is 52 and works as a bond analyst and DJ. Saran is 51 and works as a personal trainer and founder of Kids Leading Kids.
The sisters bring one of the older pairings in the competition, while also representing a team built around a close family relationship.
Daisha Wilks and Dalton Hamby
Daisha Wilks and Dalton Hamby enter the race as a dating couple.
Wilks is 28 and Hamby is 27. Both are videographers, with Wilks from Flat Rock, Alabama, and Hamby from Jacksonville, Alabama.
Their professional experience in video production is another distinctive element of the Season 39 cast.
Doug Matter and Dylan Matter
The grandfather-grandson duo of Doug and Dylan Matter brings a multigenerational connection to the new season.
Doug is 73 and a retired fire chief. Dylan is 19 and a college student. Both are from San Diego, California.
The age difference between the two contestants also makes their team one of the season’s most unusual family combinations.
Parade’s recent interview coverage notes that the grandfather-grandson pairing represents a new dynamic for the franchise.
Erin Taylor and Javi Vintimilla
Erin Taylor and Javi Vintimilla compete as a married couple from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Taylor is 28 and works as a head of human resources. Vintimilla is 30 and works as a pilot.
Their relationship is also receiving attention in early coverage of the season. Parade reported that Taylor entered the race wanting Vintimilla to take more control during stressful situations, while host Phil Keoghan discussed how their partnership develops during the competition.
Jody Rebhun and Jenn Naso
Jody Rebhun and Jenn Naso are best friends and mothers competing together.
Both women are 44. Rebhun is a history teacher from Branford, Connecticut, while Naso is a forensic scientist from Larchmont, New York.
Their friendship dates back to childhood. Recent Connecticut coverage reports that the two have known each other since kindergarten and had never traveled together as a pair before taking part in the show.
Their casting adds another long-term friendship to a season built around relationships.
Katie and Charlotte Schultz
Sisters Katie and Charlotte Schultz represent Murray, Kentucky.
Katie is 26 and Charlotte is 20. Both are estheticians.
Their sisterly relationship puts them alongside several other family teams competing in Season 39.
Michelle and Matthew Patterson
Michelle and Matthew Patterson enter the competition as married parents from Rutherford, New Jersey.
At 31, Michelle owns an auto body shop and works as a real estate agent. Matthew, 36, works as a business operations director.
Matthew’s professional background centers on business operations, while Michelle combines automotive business experience with real estate work.
Zach and Nate Johnson
Brothers Zach and Nate Johnson round out the 13-team lineup.
Zach is 30 and works as a car salesman and co-founder of Pipley. Nate is 27 and works as a director of sales. Both are from Dallas, Texas.
Their business and sales backgrounds add another competitive partnership to a cast that spans professional athletics, engineering, medicine, education, military service and entertainment-related work.
What Makes the 2026 Cast Different
The confirmed Season 39 cast is notable for its variety of relationships. Instead of relying on one type of partnership, the lineup includes couples, relatives, friends and professional teammates.
The 13 teams include:
- Two professional soccer players and moms
- Three parent-child combinations
- Four sibling or extended-family teams
- Two married couples
- One dating couple
- One childhood-friends team
- One best-friends team
The ages also span multiple generations. Dylan Matter is the youngest contestant at 19, while Doug Matter is the oldest at 73. That creates a 54-year age gap between the youngest and oldest racers in the cast. The ages are based on CBS’s official contestant information.
The Biggest New Twist for the Cast
The most important confirmed format change for Season 39 arrives before the teams even begin racing.
For the first time in the show’s history, all 13 teams receive an Express Pass at the starting line. CBS says every team must use its pass by the end of the sixth leg.
An Express Pass normally gives a team the ability to bypass a required task. Giving every team one changes the strategic value of the advantage because racers must decide when to spend it rather than simply trying to obtain one.
The first episode immediately puts that new rule into action. The premiere is titled “Sorry Guys, We Used Our Express Pass,” and CBS’s official episode materials center on the opening twist in Vancouver.
Where the Amazing Race 2026 Cast Is Racing
Season 39 starts in Vancouver, Canada.
The official route announcement says the teams will travel through five continents, nine countries and 13 cities. The total journey covers more than 25,000 miles.
The season also includes several challenges that have already been confirmed by CBS and Paramount+. Racers face a 200-foot jump from the catwalk of BC Stadium in Vancouver.
The route later includes camel-related activity in Morocco and a paramotor challenge in Laos. The season also marks the show’s first visit to Albania.
The second part of the premiere moves the racers to Madrid, Spain. CBS’s official episode description says a new alliance emerges there and one team’s Express Pass strategy produces immediate regret.
Amazing Race 2026 Cast and the Current Premiere Schedule
The season launched with a special two-night premiere.
The first episode aired Wednesday, September 30, at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. The second episode is scheduled for Thursday, October 1, at the same time.
After the two-night launch, the show returns to its regular Wednesday schedule. The next listed episode is scheduled for October 7 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.
The first episode is titled “Sorry Guys, We Used Our Express Pass.” The October 1 episode is titled “Are Tomatoes Good for Skin Care?” and takes the cast into Madrid.
As of October 1, 2026, CBS has officially identified all 13 teams. The current cast information therefore represents the confirmed Season 39 lineup rather than rumored or fan-created casting information.
How to Watch the 2026 Cast
U.S. viewers can watch Season 39 on CBS. Episodes are also available through Paramount+ under the service’s current streaming arrangements.
Paramount+ Premium subscribers can stream the CBS feed live, while Paramount+ Essential subscribers receive episodes on demand the following day.
CBS lists the show as a reality competition hosted by Phil Keoghan, with teams racing around the world for the $1 million prize.
The cast announcement also confirms that Keoghan serves as host and executive producer.
The 2026 Cast in One Place
For readers looking for a straightforward reference, the confirmed Season 39 teams are:
- Ali Krieger and Joanna Lohman
- Ann-Marie Tejcek and Riley Tejcek
- Anuar Tager and Andrea Tager Ballesca
- Cody Langlois and Jaime Tribo
- Conner Wilson and Garrett McGuire
- Dafina Dunmore and Saran Dunmore
- Daisha Wilks and Dalton Hamby
- Doug Matter and Dylan Matter
- Erin Taylor and Javi Vintimilla
- Jody Rebhun and Jenn Naso
- Katie Schultz and Charlotte Schultz
- Michelle and Matthew Patterson
- Zach and Nate Johnson
CBS’s official cast release confirms all 13 teams and their listed occupations, relationships and locations.
What Is Confirmed About the Cast Right Now
The current confirmed picture is straightforward: Season 39 has 13 teams, the full cast has been announced, and the competition has begun.
The cast is competing for $1 million, with Phil Keoghan hosting the season. The race began in Vancouver and continues through an international route covering five continents.
The early episodes are also introducing the season’s major strategic feature. Each team has an Express Pass, but each pass has to be used by the end of leg six.
CBS has already confirmed Madrid as the destination for the second premiere episode. The official episode description also confirms that an alliance forms and an Express Pass decision has immediate consequences.
Beyond those confirmed details, viewers should be cautious about online claims concerning future eliminations, final placements or winners. Those outcomes are not part of the official cast announcement and should not be treated as confirmed cast information.
The focus for now remains on the 26 contestants who began the Season 39 journey and the relationships that will shape their experience around the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is in the Amazing Race 2026 cast?
The Season 39 cast consists of 13 teams, including Ali Krieger and Joanna Lohman, Ann-Marie and Riley Tejcek, Anuar Tager and Andrea Tager Ballesca, Cody Langlois and Jaime Tribo, Conner Wilson and Garrett McGuire, Dafina and Saran Dunmore, Daisha Wilks and Dalton Hamby, Doug and Dylan Matter, Erin Taylor and Javi Vintimilla, Jody Rebhun and Jenn Naso, Katie and Charlotte Schultz, Michelle and Matthew Patterson, and Zach and Nate Johnson.
How many contestants are in The Amazing Race Season 39?
There are 26 contestants divided into 13 teams of two. CBS officially announced all 13 teams before the season premiere.
Who are the professional soccer players on the cast?
Ali Krieger and Joanna Lohman are the professional soccer players competing in Season 39. CBS identifies both as professional athletes and mothers.
Who are the youngest and oldest contestants?
Dylan Matter, 19, is the youngest contestant listed in the official cast announcement. His grandfather, Doug Matter, is 73 and is the oldest contestant in the lineup.
Who is hosting The Amazing Race in 2026?
Phil Keoghan is the host of Season 39. CBS also lists him as an executive producer.
What is the prize for The Amazing Race Season 39?
The winning team receives $1 million. CBS describes the season as a race around the world in which the first team to reach the final destination wins the competition and the grand prize.
What is new about the Express Pass in Season 39?
For the first time, all 13 teams receive an Express Pass at the beginning of the race. Each team must use its pass by the end of leg six.
Where does Season 39 begin?
The season begins in Vancouver, Canada. The race then moves internationally, with the official route covering five continents, nine countries and 13 cities.
When did Season 39 premiere?
The first episode aired September 30, 2026, at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT. The second part of the two-night premiere airs October 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT.
Where can U.S. viewers watch the season?
Season 39 airs on CBS and is available through Paramount+. Paramount+ Premium subscribers can access the live CBS feed, while Essential subscribers receive episodes on demand the following day.
The 2026 cast has now officially taken its place at the starting line, with 13 teams, 26 racers and a $1 million prize at stake.
Which team are you watching most closely as Season 39 continues? Share your thoughts and stay tuned for the latest confirmed cast and episode updates.