Race Across The World 2026 moved to Wednesday as Eurovision reshuffle grows
Race Across The World 2026 will air on Wednesday, 13 May at 8pm, a day earlier than its usual Thursday slot. One has moved the reality series to make room for Eurovision coverage from Vienna, and the change pushes one of the channel’s steadier draws into a crowded week of schedule changes.
Eurovision is taking over Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings at 8pm, with the grand final running live from 8pm until midnight. That leaves Race Across the World to absorb the Thursday opening, while Interior Design Masters, MasterChef and Casualty are also being shifted or removed to clear space for the song contest.
Wednesday 13 May
The move gives Race Across the World a one-night earlier berth rather than a full delay, which is the cleaner outcome for viewers who follow the series week to week. Wednesday, 13 May at 8pm keeps it in prime time, but not in the slot it normally owns on Thursdays.
One’s wider reshuffle matters because it is not treating the week like a routine programming change. Interior Design Masters, with Alan Carr as presenter, leaves its usual Tuesday slot and moves to Two at 8pm, while MasterChef also shifts from One to Two for the week.
Eurovision on Thursday
Eurovision’s second live performance now occupies Race Across the World’s regular Thursday evening slot, which makes the swap straightforward rather than messy. The network is prioritizing the live contest across the week, and the schedule shows it plainly: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday evenings are all being used for Eurovision at 8pm.
Casualty is the sharpest casualty of that programming squeeze. It has been dropped entirely from One’s Saturday night schedule, leaving the grand final to run from 8pm until midnight without competing in-house drama around it.
Voting in 2026
Voting changes add another layer to the Eurovision week. Viewers are limited to 10 votes per method instead of the previous 20, and online votes only count if the payment method used is registered in the same country from which the vote is cast.
Thomas Niedermeyer, the general manager of Once Germany GmbH and Eurovision’s official voting partner, said, “The system enforces multiple safeguards: it blocks voting outside the official window, prevents voting for one’s own country, limits total votes, and applies fraud detection measures such as verifying payment origin and preventing misuse of stolen cards,” He also said, “Payment methods such as credit cards carry country-of-origin data. These are used”
For viewers, the practical takeaway is simple: Race Across the World 2026 is still on One, but not where regular Thursday-night viewers expect it. The slot moves to Wednesday, 13 May at 8pm, and One’s week belongs to Eurovision from Tuesday through Saturday.
