These furry football players are ready to have a ball!
After all, Feb. 8 doesn’t kick off with the 2026 Super Bowl match-up between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. Instead, some pup-ular players will take the field first.
The 22nd annual Puppy Bowl will feature 150 dogs from 72 shelters going head-to-head for the coveted “Lombarky” Trophy. Airing across Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, HBO Max and discovery+ at 2 p.m. EST/11 a.m. PST, the broadcast is shaping up to be three straight hours of precious puppy moments.
So who exactly is on the roster? The reigning champs, Team Fluff, will be led by Benito, a Siberian Husky-Chihuahua and Showgirl, a Chow Chow-Rottweiler. Refusing to be counted out, Bulldog-Border Collie Lobster Roll, Boston Terrier-French Bulldog Brûlée and American Cattle Dog-Beagle Miso will be leading Team Ruff on their quest for redemption.
“Puppy Bowl XXII celebrates the spirit of the underdog,” Discovery Channel’s Head of Content Joseph Boyle said in a press release,”with a gameday celebration that combines the excitement of a sports matchup with uplifting adoption stories.”
