Overview
- The schools announced Friday that their men’s and women’s teams will play a season‑opening doubleheader in Rome on November 1, 2026.
- The men’s game airs on FOX at 9:30 a.m. ET, followed by the women’s game on FS1 at 12:00 p.m. ET.
- Teams and supporters are slated for an audience with Pope Leo XIV before the games, and he is the first American‑born pope and a Villanova graduate.
- FOX Sports is producing the event with Players Era and On Location, which opened fully refundable priority deposits for official fan packages ahead of a planned early‑May on‑sale.
- Organizers said the specific venue in Rome will be announced later as operational planning continues.