The 2026-27 college basketball season will start overseas, with Notre Dame and Villanova playing a men’s and women’s doubleheader in Rome on Nov. 1 in an event titled the “Eternal City Tip-Off,” the programs announced Friday.
In their releases, the Catholic schools stated the season-opening, Italian excursion is inspired by the recent election of Pope Leo XIV, who is notably a Villanova alumnus. Pope Leo is the first American-born Pope, and his sports fandom is well-documented.
The trip will include more than just the first game of the regular season for Notre Dame and Villanova student-athletes. They will be greeted at a welcome reception overlooking Rome, and they will have an opportunity to attend a shared Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, as well as a planned papal audience with Pope Leo.
Other experiences, such as private Vatican Museum tours, will be available as well.
“Pope Leo has spoken in such inspiring ways about the value of sport, emphasizing that sport is a ‘school of life’ that integrates the body, mind and spirit, a vision both Notre Dame and Villanova wholeheartedly embrace,” said Rev. Robert Dowd, Notre Dame’s president, in the school’s release.
“We are honored to join Villanova for what is sure to be the experience of a lifetime for our student-athletes and fans. We know well the transformative impact of spending time in a city that is so central to our faith and rich in history, having established Notre Dame Rome in 2014, which allows us to host hundreds of students and scholars from around the world each year. It’s exciting and most fitting to add athletic competitions to our many activities in Rome.”
Villanova’s president, Rev. Peter Donohue, also put out a statement, referencing the wholistic opportunity afforded by the event, which will honor the schools’ shared Catholic heritage.
"This extraordinary experience reflects the very best of Villanova's Augustinian Catholic mission — uniting faith, learning and community in a global setting," Donohue said in Villanova’s release.
"From academic engagement and cultural immersion to shared worship and athletics, this journey offers a profound opportunity to grow in mind, body and spirit.”
Fox Sports will broadcast the doubleheader. The men’s game will air on Fox at 9:30 a.m. ET, and the women’s game will air on FS1 at 12 p.m. ET.
The event venue will be announced at a later date.
Notre Dame and Villanova haven’t faced off on the men’s side of the sport since Dec. 10, 2016. The Wildcats lead that series 19-17.
The schools’ women’s basketball programs haven’t played each other since March 18, 2018, when Notre Dame defeated Villanova in the second round of the NCAA tournament amid its national title run. The Fighting Irish lead that series 20-10.
