Notre Dame men's and women's NCAA basketball teams will face Villanova in Rome for season opener
The University of Notre Dame will kick off both its men's and women's 2026-2027 basketball seasons with an international game in Rome.
Both Fighting Irish teams will take on Villanova in the "Eternal City Tip-Off" on Nov. 1 in a doubleheader game.
The men's game will be at 9:30 a.m. ET on Nov. 1, followed by the women's game at 12 p.m. ET.
Notre Dame said the idea was inspired by the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pope. Notre Dame and Villanova are two of the United State's top Catholic universities.
There is a planned audience with the pope set to take place before the game.
Notre Dame's women's team has played in Europe before, starting their 2023-2024 season in Paris.
There are official packages being offered for Notre Dame and Villanova fans through On Location, which include game tickets, hotel accommodations, the papal audience, exclusive fan events, on-site hosts and more. It was not immediately clear if tickets just for the games will be sold and when they will go on sale.
Anyone interested in attending can put down a fully refundable $500 deposit on an Eternal City Tip-Off package for priority access, with access to the pre-sale and front-of-the-line access to choose premium seating for the game. The deposit is applied toward the full cost of the package.
Separate packages are being offered for Notre Dame fans and Villanova fans.