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Cuteness alert! Meet the Puppy Bowl players

Mary Bowerman, and Patrick Ryan
USA TODAY
Attendees cuddle with puppies from a local rescue, Paw Works, who are on hand to promote Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl XII.

Puppy Bowl is almost here!

As football fans wait with anticipation for the Super Bowl, animal lovers also prepare for one of the biggest nights of the year. The Puppy Bowl.

This year, Animal Planet collaborated with 44 shelters across the country to recruit the best and the brightest for #TeamRuff and #TeamFluff.

The pre-game show starts at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday on Animal Planet, and the Puppy Bowl XII kicks off at 3 p.m. Photos of the teams show a diverse crowd, ranging from mixed breeds to Pekingese. One thing is for sure, the talent couldn't be much cuter.

Gallery: Meet some of the cute Puppy Bowl XII players

Before showtime, fans can get an inside look at the world's cutest sporting event.

The first-ever Puppy Bowl Virtual Reality brings viewers nose-to-nose with the gridiron canines, and is now available at AnimalPlanet.com/PuppyBowlVR, through the Discovery VR iOS and Android apps, Samsung Milk VR and on Animal Planet’s YouTube page.

Using virtual-reality goggles such as Google Cardboard, fans can step inside Geico Stadium for a 360° experience as puppies scrimmage, scamper and sniff out field goals.