‘Puppy Bowl XIX’: Meet This Year’s Adorable Roster of Adoptable Players (PHOTOS)

The cutest cast list of every year has been announced. The Puppy Bowl returns with Puppy Bowl XIX on Sunday, February 12 on Animal Planet and streaming on Discovery+. And this year’s roster of 2022 pups certainly deserve some treats.

Now in its 19th year, the Puppy Bowl is the original and longest running call-to-adoption TV event. The three-hour television matchup will showcase more puppies, more animal shelters and rescues, and more inspiring adoption stories than ever before as the puppy players from Team Ruff and Team Fluff take to the gridiron in the Puppy Bowl stadium to win the Wayfair “Lombarky” trophy.

In addition to the ear pulls, tail tugs, sloppy kisses, and puppy penalties, the feel-good sports competition highlights the hard work of rescue and shelter workers who dedicate their lives to helping animals find forever homes. The 2023 Puppy Bowl XIX will feature 122 puppies, 67 shelters and rescues across 34 states. And for the first time ever, it will feature a Native American animal organization (the Phoenix-based NAGI Foundation) and a puppy player from Dominica, West Indies.

Puppy Bowl XIX will kick off its pre-game programming at 1 p.m. ET. It will give audiences the inside scoop on the game’s draft with exclusive interviews with coaches and players. Wisdom Panel dog DNA tests will teach audiences more about each puppy player’s breed mix and other unique traits that could help determine which puppy player could have a furry leg-up on the field. The pre-game show will also provide a first-look at the Arm & Hammer Slide Kitty Halftime Show.

After the Pedigree Starting Lineup players take their zoomies onto the field, one player will be named Most Valuable Puppy (MVP) and another will win the Subaru of America, Inc. Underdog Award. Referee Dan Schachner returns for his 12th year overseeing the sweet game, and sportscasters Steve Levy and Taylor Rooks return to provide play-by-play commentary.

The Puppy Bowl’s “Adoptable Pup” segments, sponsored by Pedigree, plus the Puppy Cheer Squad, the beloved water-bowl cam, the slo-mo cam, end zone pylon cameras will also be back. And there will be an all-new feature a backstage look at the puppy players’ red-carpet arrivals ahead of the game.

During the game, audiences will also meet 11 special needs puppy players looking for forever homes that will include Julius, a hearing-impaired Dalmatian; Marmalade, a sight and hearing-impaired Border Collie/Australian Cattle Dog; Mykonos, a American Staffordshire Terrier/Bulldog with a cleft palate, among others.

Puppy Bowl XIX is produced for Animal Planet and discovery+ by Bright Spot Content, an All3Media America company. Scroll through the 2023 Puppy Bowl players, below.

Puppy Bowl XIX, Pre-Game Show, Sunday, February 12, 1 p.m. ET, Animal Planet and Discovery+

Puppy Bowl XIX, Sunday, February 12, 2/1c, Animal Planet and Discovery+