VIDEO: Fun Facts About Puppy Bowl XI (This Sunday!)

This Sunday, February 1, is an exciting day for football fans and puppy lovers alike – Puppy Bowl XI! At 3pm ET on Sunday, Animal Planet will blow the whistle on their 11th consecutive year of this adorable puppy sports match.

For the first time ever, the puppies will be playing in teams – Team Ruff and Team Fluff – so fans can root for their favorite team to win the coveted LomBARKey Trophy! Teams feature 55 adorable players (plus 30 on the second string) from 37 different shelters and animal rescues from 20 different states!

This year’s celebrations include a Kitten Halftime Show with a special performance from pop-star Katty Furry, a perky crew of goat cheerleaders (yes, goats!), and a hamster-guided blimp for catching all the on-field action. Fans of Puppy Bowls past will remember the water bowl cam and live Twitter updates from Meep the Bird. Returning to Puppy Bowl XI are the crowdpleasing “Lipstick Cam” for up-close action straight from the mouths of pups and the Puppy Hot Tub, where players cool down between their turns on the field.

Aside from puppy fumbles and terrier touchdowns, the real goal of Puppy Bowl is to bring awareness to animal rescue and adoption. Of the 55 puppies featured in this year’s big game, all but 2 have already been adopted, since the show is filmed months in advance of air time. Puppies picked for the big game are chosen from animal shelters around the nation, between 10 and 15 weeks of age, and are sturdy and playful – perfect for the puppy penalties, terrier tackles, and furry first-downs.

Ready to get pumped up for the biggest game of the year? Check out the Puppy Bowl XI Pre-Game Show here:

Then, tune in to Animal Planet on Sunday at 3pm to catch the biggest game of the year! (We hear there’s some other big event being aired that day on a different channel… don’t worry, you can see both big games – Puppy Bowl XI will play on a continuous loop all day and evening long!)