Super Bowl Sunday isn’t just about touchdowns and Lombardi dreams. Before the Eagles and Chiefs hit the field for SB LIX, there’s another showdown stealing hearts—Puppy Bowl XXI. Think of it as the ultimate pregame warmup to just hook the viewers… And it’s working. They know that they’d get enough of blitzes and deep passes. So, why not keep it about the tail wags, zoomies, and some serious puppy pile-ups? But believe it or not, the Puppy Bowl started as a joke.

Back in 2005, Animal Planet execs were brainstorming ways to counterprogram the Super Bowl when someone half-seriously suggested, “Why not just point a camera at puppies?” The idea? So ridiculous it just might work. And it did. 5.8 million viewers across a 12-hr broadcast for the first ever edition of the Puppy Bowl. No wonder what started as a lighthearted experiment is now an annual tradition, complete with play-by-play commentary, slow-mo replays, and even a Puppy Bowl Hall of Fame. Not bad for a game that began as a punchline, right?

What time does Puppy Bowl XXI start?

Here’s to more ‘fur’ and games as the tradition continues… This would be the 21st edition of the viewers getting the pregame heart melts and they can catch all of it starting from 2 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Where to watch the paws in action?

To watch the puppies in action on their little (soft) gridiron, you’d have to tune into either Discovery, Max, truTV, Animal Planet, TBS, or Discovery+. 

We are literally doing everything in our capacity to guide you to the stands from where you can get the perfect view of the football pups in their game mode. Do try to tune in.

How long is Puppy Bowl 2025?

Per Animal Planet, this edition of the Puppy Bowl will go on for approximately three hours. That’s a run-time of the full-length NFL game. Add to that an hour long pregame show (yes, the pups have got the interviews/the first-looks lined up too) starting from 1 p.m., and the viewers are going to be left asking for more after those 4 hours of cuteness.

What is the Puppy Bowl 2025 lineup?

It’s a never have I ever almost every time the Puppy Bowl is around the corner. I mean, who’d have thought we would be sitting here discussing the star of the ‘big game’ and the teams? And yet, here we are. There are two teams locked in against each other: Team Fluff. Team Ruff. Then, there’s the case of ‘how many’ are competing. Well, 142 dogs from 80 shelters spread around 40 states. Just imagine the scenes… For some hints as to how it looks (if it’d be your first time watching it) well look no further than the clip below:

Obviously we couldn’t name drop all of them here, so do visit the Discovery.com for full roster-check because you might want to pick your cutest warrior. Because, guess what? All the pups are up for adoption. The long-time Puppy Bowl judge, Dan Schachner, puts it beautifully: “Our goal is to find them their forever home.”