Pope Leo XIV Blesses Rome Basketball Season Opener

Sunday marks the start of the 2026-27 college basketball season for two American Catholic universities, but the first shot on the floor will be taken in Rome. Villanova and Notre Dame are hosting a doubleheader at the Palazzo dello Sport, a venue that holds 11,000 fans and sits roughly 30 minutes from the Vatican. The event, named the Eternal City Tip-Off, serves as a tribute to the first American pope.

The competition follows a Saturday audience at the Vatican, where Pope Leo XIV met with all four men’s and women’s teams. The gathering included 7,000 people, comprising players, coaches, families, and fans. Leo, who was born Robert Prevost and attended Villanova, addressed the crowd in the audience hall. He noted that the pontiff is neutral in sports matters but added that his former self might disagree. “Prevost has another opinion, but we won’t do that now,” he said, prompting laughter from the assembled group.

The games will be broadcast nationally. The men’s matchup begins at 3:30 p.m. local time, or 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time, on Fox with analyst Bill Raftery. The women’s game follows at 6 p.m. local time, or noon Eastern Time, on FS1. Notre Dame enters this contest as the only ranked team on the card, holding the No. 13 spot. Both schools also brought their team chaplains to Italy for the trip.

Leo, who underwent lung cancer surgery last month, was not expected to attend the games. However, a group of cardinals and other Vatican officials was scheduled to be present at the arena. The doubleheader provides a high-profile start to the season for both institutions, connecting their athletic programs directly to the history of the current papacy.