Puppy Bowl 2026: Meet the adorable pups on Teams Ruff and Fluff

WASHINGTON D.C., DC — It’s almost time for one of the cutest competitions of the year: the 2026 Puppy Bowl.

Puppy Bowl XXII is the 22st year of arguably the cutest pre-Super Bowl event.

Team Ruff and Team Fluff will face off in a football game that spotlights adoptable dogs from shelters the U.S., Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands. The event encourages viewers to consider adopting a dog from an animal shelter or rescue rather than a breeder.

This year’s three-hour show will feature 150 dogs from 72 shelters. Referee Dan Schachner will return for his 15th year.

For the first time, the show will include a special exhibition game for senior dogs. Team Oldies and Team Goldies will go head-to-head during the halftime show.

The show will also include segments on adoptable puppies, play-by-play commentary from sportscasters Steve Levy and Taylor Rocks, puppy cheer squads, kittens watching from a skybox, and DNA test results for each player.

Puppy Bowl 2026 will air at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT on Sunday, Feb. 8. It will simulcast on Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS, truTV, HBO Max and Discovery+.

The Puppy Bowl XXII Kickoff Show will air at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT and will feature Schachner and lead puppy trainer Victoria Schade scouting 10 prospects on a practice field.

Check out the full lineup here of puppies competing for Team Ruff and Team Fluff. Puppies this year come from shelters in 30 states and the the British Virgin Islands.

Victoria Schade is a dog trainer and novelist who’s the show’s lead puppy trainer and wrangler. She’s the one making sure the shelter pups have a conflict-free contest and that they’re captured at their most adorable — all from off-camera.

It is Schade who gets the puppies to look up during the “The Star-Spangled Banner” or run through a tunnel to get to the field for the starting lineups. She’s on the lookout for possible conflicts or nervous dogs.

“My responsibilities include ensuring puppy happiness and safety during gameplay,” she said. “So if there’s any moment where a puppy looks like they’re overwhelmed or they just need a break, I’ll step out and give them a little break on the sideline.”

Schade has been working with the doggies on the Animal Planet show for 20 years and is believed to be the longest serving member of the “Puppy Bowl” crew. She also has worked on the kitten halftime show and calls filming both her favorite week of the year.

“I think she is one of the most dedicated, hardest working people out there in the business,” Schachner said. “She doesn’t ever seem to run out of energy. She never says no to a request and there’s always brightness and sunshine from her with every step.”

This article includes previous reporting by Chris McCrory.