It’s time for the third annual FTW Ultimate Podcast Bracket. For 2021, the For The Win staff selected 32 of the biggest, best and most beloved podcasts from multiple genres, from sports to news to crime, and seeded them based on a variety of factors, from longevity to audience size.
Come back to vote each day for your favorite podcasts. The voting period for the first round will open on Monday, and run until 9:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday. The winners will advance to the Sweet 16, and new polls will be opened.
Binge Mode enters the 2021 tournament as a two-time defending champion, but 2020 finalist The Pat McAfee Show is back as a No. 2 seed in the Sports region. Could this be the year a True Crime podcast takes the crown? You can see a larger version of the bracket here. Go vote!
True Crime region
No. 1 Crime Junkie vs. No. 8 The Opportunist
[polldaddy poll=10780774]
No. 4 Anatomy of Murder vs. No. 5 Dr. Death
[polldaddy poll=10780776]
No. 3 My Favorite Murder vs. No. 6 Criminal
[polldaddy poll=10780777]
No. 2 Your Own Backyard vs. No. 7 Up And Vanished
[polldaddy poll=10780778]
Sports region
No. 1 Bill Simmons Podcast vs. No. 8 Spinsters
[polldaddy poll=10780780]
No. 4 Talk is Jericho vs. No. 5 Takeline
[polldaddy poll=10780784]
No. 3 Men In Blazers vs. No. 6 Shutdown Fullcast
[polldaddy poll=10780787]
No. 2 The Pat McAfee Show vs. No. 7 Jalen & Jacoby
[polldaddy poll=10780789]
Culture/Comedy region
No. 1 Binge Mode vs. No. 8 Higher Learning
[polldaddy poll=10780790]
No. 4 You’re Wrong About vs. No. 5 Still Processing
[polldaddy poll=10780792]
No. 3 This American Life vs. No. 6 The Breakfast Club
[polldaddy poll=10780793]
No. 2 Stuff You Should Know vs. No. 7 Office Ladies
[polldaddy poll=10780797]
News/Science region
No. 1 The Daily vs. No. 8 The Argument
[polldaddy poll=10780800]
No. 4 Chapo Trap House vs. No. 5 Today, Explained
[polldaddy poll=10780801]
No. 3 Planet Money vs. No. 6 Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast
[polldaddy poll=10780805]
No. 2 Pod Save America vs. No. 7 Hidden Brain
[polldaddy poll=10780810]