Every Team Gets an Express Pass: CBS Reveals 'The Amazing Race' Season 39 Cast and Route

Every team on The Amazing Race Season 39 will receive an Express Pass — a first in the show's history, and all 13 of them at once. CBS revealed the full cast, route, and new twists on 12 August 2026, ahead of a two-night premiere set for Wednesday, 30 September at 9:30 p.m. ET and Thursday, 1 October at 9:30 p.m. on CBS, with streaming on Paramount+ (Variety).

An Express Pass lets a team skip one task during a leg of the race. With 13 passes in play — one per team, a season record — every squad holds the same advantage. The catch: each team must decide how to use their pass before the end of leg six, putting a clock on strategy from the starting line.

The race kicks off in Vancouver, Canada, where teams jump 200 feet off the BC Stadium catwalk. From there, the route covers five continents, nine countries, 13 cities, and more than 25,000 miles. The confirmed countries are Canada, Spain, Morocco, Albania, Sri Lanka, Laos, Australia, and New Zealand (Variety; TV Insider). Albania marks the series' first-ever visit to the country.

Host Phil Keoghan addressed the season's twists in a statement, pointing to a new start-line reveal, the return of classic twists, and the maiden stop in Albania (Variety).

After last season's Big Brother-themed pairings, the teams are back to civilian contestants. Among the 13 squads are two women's professional athletes: Ali Krieger and Joanna Lohman. Other confirmed teams include Megan Turner and Matt Turner, Angela Murray and Lexi Murray, and Tucker Des Lauriers (Paramount Press Express).

For fans, the universal Express Pass is the detail that changes how the early legs play out. When every team holds the same skip-a-task card, the pressure shifts from who has one to who spends theirs wisely — and who waits too long.

Season 39 will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+ (Paramount Press Express).