We get a college basketball opening day with a twist this year: Notre Dame and Villanova are starting the 2026-27 season in Rome.
The men’s matchup tips at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time Sunday from Palazzo dello Sport, a downtown Rome arena that seats 11,200.
Fox will carry the game, which is part of a collaboration involving On Location, Players Era and Fox Sports. The women’s teams from Notre Dame and Villanova will follow in the second half of the doubleheader.
The setup traces back to the May 2025 election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American pope. Born Robert Franics Prevost in 1955, raised in Chicago and a 1977 Villanova graduate, he became the inspiration for the event. The doubleheader was announced in April 2026.
For Notre Dame, the trip comes after a 13-18 season in Micah Shrewsberry’s third year as head coach. Villanova arrives with a different recent resume: a 24-9 season and a return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022 in Kevin Willard’s first season in charge.
The game also carries a place in the record book. It is believed to be the first time in college basketball history that a game has been played outside the United States to open the season. The four programs needed special waivers from the NCAA because November 2 is the “official” start of the college basketball season for men and women.
Notre Dame’s men haven’t played a regular-season game outside the United States since 2007, when they took part in an in-season tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The women’s program, meanwhile, opened the 2023-24 season in Paris against South Carolina in Hannah Hidalgo’s first game.
“I never thought I'd be playing a basketball game in Rome,” said Notre Dame graduate transfer guard Ethan Roberts, a Catholic kid who grew up in suburban Chicago a Notre Dame fan. “It's super cool.”
The men’s programs know each other well. Notre Dame and Villanova have met 36 times since 1970, with Villanova holding a 19-17 edge.
The Wildcats are also 13-7 against the Irish from their Big East years between 1995 and 2013. Their only neutral-site meeting was also their most recent matchup, a Dec. 10, 2016 game at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Then-No. 1 Villanova beat No.
23 Notre Dame, 74-66, in the Never Forget Tribute Classic honoring victims of 9/11.
Notre Dame’s travel party left Wednesday on a commercial flight from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. The team had a papal audience on Saturday, though it was unclear whether the pontiff would attend Sunday’s games.
“Such a great learning experience for our guys,” Shrewsberry said. “This might never be done again and to be a part of the group that gets a chance to do it for the first time is pretty special.”
The Irish are scheduled to return to campus late Monday. Their men’s home opener is Thursday, Nov. 5 against Mercyhurst, and the women open at home the following night against Stonehill.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Suddenly Has A Serious Drayk Bowen Concern Before Miami
Notre Dame is already juggling a few health questions coming out of the Navy game, and the biggest one may be at linebacker. Drayk Bowen suffered a lower right leg injury during the matchup, and with Miami next on the schedule, his availability is now uncertain at a spot where the Irish can least afford another setback.
Marcus Freeman also had to address the status of several other injured players, including Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Leonard Moore, Cooper Flanagan and Micah Gilbert, after a game in which Notre Dame leaned on substitutions and limited some players' workloads to get through it. The next few days should tell the story on Bowen, but for now it leaves one of the defense's key pieces very much in question heading into a major test. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dames Early Navy Gamble Is Raising Questions Fast
Chris Ashs early-game choices against Navy stood out right away, and not just because Notre Dame was trying to settle in on defense. The Irish mixed in reserve players early, including starting Christian Gray at cornerback and getting backup linebacker Anthony Rezac on the field on the opening drive, as the unit tried to sort out Navys option looks and keep the game under control.
Instead, Navy put together its longest offensive drive of the season during that stretch, and the Midshipmen briefly led 3-0 before Notre Dame answered to go ahead 7-3. The sequence has already put a spotlight on the defensive playcalling and the decision to lean on reserves so early, leaving plenty of room for questions about how much of the opening trouble was execution and how much was design. [Read more 🡒]
Marcus Freeman Just Put Notre Dames Defensive Leadership Under Pressure
Marcus Freeman did not hide his frustration at halftime of Notre Dames game against Navy, and his comments cut straight to the heart of the defenses issues. He said the unit was being asked to run plays it did not know, a sign that the problems were not just about effort or physicality but about execution and communication in a game that demanded both.
Freeman also stressed that the defense had to play physically and stay away from panic, a message that carries extra weight when a head coach is openly questioning how the calls are being handled. The Irish were sharper after the break, but the halftime critique only adds pressure on defensive coordinator Chris Ash and leaves Notre Dames defensive leadership under a brighter spotlight moving forward. [Read more 🡒]