Notre Dame is playing Villanova in Rome to start the 2026-27 college basketball season
Oct 31, 2026 at 5:57 pm ET • 3 min read
The 2026-27 college basketball season begins Sunday when Villanova faces Notre Dame at Palazzo dello Sport in Rome, Italy. The season is starting a day earlier than usual after the NCAA granted special clearance for the teams to face each other in a monumental showdown.
This matchup has been months in the making, with CBS Sports' Matt Norlander the first to report on it earlier this calendar year. The NCAA quietly approved a waiver in January to allow the teams a one-day head start, given the historic precedent of the matchup. Immediately following the men's game, Notre Dame's women's team will face Villanova.
Holy hoops! Villanova, Notre Dame finalizing plans to open 2026-27 college basketball season in Rome, Italy
Matt Norlander
Notre Dame and Villanova are both prominent private Catholic schools with connections to Pope Leo XIV. Robert Francis Prevost is a 1977 alumnus of Villanova, and Notre Dame is regarded as the world's most prominent Catholic institution of higher learning. Notre Dame even has an outpost in Rome.
While this matchup is historic on the men's side, it isn't unprecedented on the women's side. Duke opened last season against Baylor in Paris. This season, No. 1 South Carolina will face No. 20 Maryland on Nov. 2 at Adidas Arena in Paris. In 2023, South Carolina opened the season against Notre Dame at Halle Georges Carpentier Arena in Paris.
With the season on the horizon, here is everything you need to know ahead of Villanova's matchup with Notre Dame on Sunday.
Villanova vs. Notre Dame: Need to know
A first for everything: The matchup between Villanova and Notre Dame is believed to be the first men's season opener on foreign soil and the first regular-season Division I basketball game in Italy. This matchup has been quite literally months in the making, with plans announced for this game nearly 10 months ago. This game will be played at Palazzetto dello Sport, which seats approximately 3,500 people for basketball and has been around since the 1950s.
It remains unclear whether the Pope will attend the game: The Palazzetto dello Sport, the venue for the historic matchup, is located approximately 30 minutes from the Pope's residence in Vatican City. The Pope held a private audience on Saturday with all four teams and their traveling fans. Approximately 7,000 people are expected in the Paul VI audience hall inside the Vatican.
New era for Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish were among the teams hit the hardest by the transfer portal earlier this offseason. Notre Dame's three leading scorers from last season (Markus Burton, Jalen Haralson and Cole Certa) all departed the program. With plenty of new faces and Notre Dame being on the verge of its longest NCAA Tournament drought since the 1990s, the pressure is on coach Micah Shrewsberry heading into Year 4 of his tenure. A win against a strong Villanova squad that won 24 games last season would be a great place to start.
Where to watch Villanova vs. Notre Dame live
Date: Sunday, Nov. 1 | Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
Location: Palazzo dello Sport -- Rome, Italy
TV: Fox | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Villanova vs. Notre Dame prediction
Despite losing star point guard Acaden Lewis to the portal, I really like this Villanova roster entering the season. Tyler Perkins should have a huge season. Villanova big man Luigi Suigo, a 7-foot-3 freshman who will be playing in his home country of Italy and is known as "Italian Wemby" is someone I'm keeping an eye on for the 2027 NBA Draft. Notre Dame has many question marks entering the season, which makes me lean toward Villanova on a neutral floor thousands of miles away from each school's campus. This matchup is bound to be historic, so expect a close game down the stretch until Villanova pulls away in the final five minutes. Pick: Villanova -7.5
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