Eternal City Tip-off for NCAA college basketball in Rome

Article posted by Coliseum, May 5^th, 2026

Image: Stadio Olimpico e Stadio dei Marmi, Messapi, CC BY 4.0

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college basketball season will start on an international stage this year as Notre Dame and Villanova meet in the Eternal City Tip-Off.

The universities will meet in an unprecedented college basketball matchup of their men’s and women’s teams in Rome on November 1, 2026.

Fox Sports said that inspired by the recent election of Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born Pope and a Villanova graduate, student-athletes from some of the United States’ top Catholic universities will travel to Rome and Vatican City for a one-of-a-kind international experience to begin their college hoops season – with a planned audience with Pope Leo XIV set to take place ahead of the game.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States and one in Canada.

It also organizes the athletic programs of the colleges and helps over 500,000 college student athletes who compete annually in college sports. The headquarters is located in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Earlier this year in connection with the start of the Winter Olympics in Italy, Pope Leo released a letter titled “Life in Abundance” on the value of sport.

He wrote, “When people fully embrace the challenges and joys of sport, they learn the value of trust, sacrifice and shared purpose.

“Competition can coexist with compassion; the field of play can become common ground. At its best, sport becomes a powerful instrument to strengthen the bonds that unite us.”

Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, President of Villanova University, said, “Villanova is honored to open the college basketball season in Rome – a place deeply connected to our Catholic faith and tradition.

“This event is far more than a pair of games; it offers our student‑athletes and communities the chance to witness how sport can inspire unity, shared purpose and compassion – values Pope Leo XIV has so powerfully articulated.

“We are grateful to everyone involved for creating an experience that brings together competition, culture and faith in a way that reflects the very best of Villanova and Notre Dame.”

Rev Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., President of the University of Notre Dame, said, “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.

“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.”

The Eternal City Tip-Off contest between the two Catholic college basketball powerhouses promises to be an electric start to the 2026-27 season with coverage highlighting the incredible atmosphere surrounding the event.

For Players Era, this new international showcase is the newest college basketball tentpole event, building on the momentum from this year’s highly anticipated Players Era Men’s and Women’s Championships, which brought together the strongest-ever in-season tournament fields this past November.

Further details, including the event venue, will be released at a later date.

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