The gold standard of March Madness pools is run by Berkshire Hathaway chairman Warren Buffett. Over the years, Buffett has run office pools and public pools with some legendary jackpots. The most famous of which was the Warren Buffett Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge.
Below, we’ll have information on all of the best March Madness bracket contests for 2026. That includes whether or not Buffett’s Bracket Challenge is taking place this year.
Spoiler alert: If you want to join a billion dollar bracket contest, your best option is Kalshi's bracket contest. They're giving away $1B for a perfect bracket and $1M for top prize. But hurry, Thursday's noon ET tip-off is the deadline!
Is the Warren Buffett Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge happening this year?
Buffett’s Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge has left an indelible mark on the American sports fan’s psyche. Each year around this time, a popular question is whether or not Buffett’s contest is happening this year?
Well, the answer is most likely yes. But unfortunately, if it does happen, it will probably not be open to the public.
Buffett created some major March Madness buzz back in 2014 when he let anyone with a Yahoo! account enter his perfect bracket challenge. The prize was a cool billion dollars, so — needless to say — hundreds of thousands of people entered the contest.
No one filled out a perfect bracket that year, and to this day, a perfect bracket remains the stuff of fiction.
Buffett has run a pool for Berkshire Hathaway employees for years, and in recent years, he dangled a carrot of $1 million to any employee that could correctly pick at least 30 of the 32 first-round matchups correctly. Incredibly, one of those employees picked 31 of 32 games correctly last year and walked away with the million.
There is no word yet on if Buffett is running it back this year. The 95-year-old stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway earlier this year, but he remains the chairman of the board. He reportedly still comes into the office almost every day, so running another office pool is not out of the question.
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Are there any billion dollar bracket contests this year?
It is somewhat incredible that Buffett’s bracket contest, which occurred over a decade ago, still resonates. But when there’s a billion dollars on the line, folks tend to get excited.
We had not seen a billion dollar bracket opportunity since Buffett’s contest 12 years ago, but at long last, we have a company that is now willing to put up the dough.
Kalshi is running a billion dollar bracket challenge for the first time. If you enter the 2026 contest and fill out a perfect bracket, you will take home a cool $1 billion.
Kalshi is also being realistic about this. The chances of someone filling out a perfect bracket are slim and none, and slim just left town.
So, Kalshi is giving $1 million to whoever can fill out the closest thing to a perfect bracket.
Enter the Kalshi billion-dollar bracket!
Turn this March into a life-changing experience, as Kalshi is offering one billion dollars for a perfect NCAA Tournament bracket!
If nobody is perfect, there is still one million dollars available for the highest-scoring bracket in the contest!
*Eligible U.S. locations only
Has anyone ever filled out a perfect bracket?
No, there has never been a verified perfect bracket. That is because the chances of filling out a perfect bracket prior to the start of the tournament are one in 9.2 quintillion.
There are many people who come forward with a “perfect” bracket on social media, after the fact. These forgeries are quickly snuffed out by online sleuths, though.
So, if you think you can actually crack the code this year — it’s best to post your bracket before the tournament starts on Thursday at 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Time stamps solve many debates.
