Notre Dame and Villanova to open 2026-27 basketball season in Rome

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame and Villanova announced Friday that their men’s and women’s basketball programs will open the 2026-27 season with a doubleheader in Rome on Nov. 1, 2026, in an event designed to celebrate the schools’ shared Catholic missions and heritage.

The men’s game is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. ET and will air on FOX, followed by the women’s matchup at noon on FS1. The exact venue has not yet been announced.  

The event will mark the first meeting between the Notre Dame and Villanova men since 2016 and the first matchup between the women’s programs since 2018.  

However, the storyline extends beyond basketball. According to Villanova, the event was inspired by the election of Pope Leo XIV, a Chicago native and Villanova alumnus who earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the university in 1977.  He now resides at the Vatican.

Both teams are expected to take part in several off-court events in Rome, including a welcome reception, a shared Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica and a planned papal audience before the games. Fans traveling to Italy will also have access to private Vatican Museums tours and other events tied to the trip.  

Notre Dame students said the trip represents more than just a season opener.

“To have an opportunity to play in Rome and maybe even Vatican City, is really a way we can express our faith as a school and even as an athletic department.”

Another student added: “So glad to see two great Catholic schools in America be showcased abroad so Pope Leo can see it. And I’m from Chicago so I know Pope Leo a little bit. This is great, I’m excited.”

The NCAA approved a waiver in January allowing the games to be played one day before the official start of the 2026-27 season because of the event’s historic nature, according to Villanova’s release. School officials said the goal is to elevate the universities’ shared Catholic identity on an international stage.