Get ready for a cuteness overload: The starting lineup for the 16th Puppy Bowl has been released.
Billed as the “cutest sports competition” on TV, the Puppy Bowl features adoptable puppies from 61 shelters across the U.S., all vying for the “Lombarky” trophy.
The adorable event, which pits Team Ruff against Team Fluff, airs on Animal Planet a few hours before the Super Bowl on Sunday.
In a starting lineup of 42 pups, six hail from shelters in Maryland and Virginia. A total of 96 puppies will take part.
Sunday’s festivities begin with a pregame show at 2 p.m. featuring “aww-nalysis” from correspondents Rodt Weiler, James Hound, and Sheena Inu, Animal Planet said.
Lick-off — I mean, kickoff — is set for 3 p.m.
This year’s bowl features an official cheering squad of pygmy goats and armadillos and a “Kitty Half-Time Show” sponsored by Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal kitty litter featuring “legendary divas” Jenni-PURR Lopez and CAT-ira, who are set to “perform” a special rendition of “Catnips Don’t Lie!”
Animal Planet says in prior years, all puppies that have participated in the competition have been adopted.
See the pups from Virginia and Maryland competing in the puppy bowl below. See the full lineup on the Animal Planet site.
