Notre Dame men's basketball opens the 2026-27 season Sunday, Nov. 1, against Villanova in Rome, Italy, in a matchup expected to make college basketball history.

The game at Palazzo dello Sport tips off at 9:30 a.m. Eastern on FOX. Notre Dame says it is believed to be the first regular-season men's college basketball game played outside the United States to open a season, according to the university's official schedule announcement.

The women's teams follow at noon Eastern on FS1, completing a doubleheader known as the Eternal City Tip-Off.

Notre Dame looks to build momentum

Head coach Micah Shrewsberry enters his fourth season leading the Irish after three consecutive losing campaigns.

Notre Dame finished 13-20 in 2023-24 and 15-18 in 2024-25. The team went 13-18 last season, according to the event's official team information.

The 2025-26 campaign was disrupted when guard Markus Burton suffered an injury after the Irish opened 9-3.

Shrewsberry emphasized the need for players to take responsibility for improving the program during comments reported by WNDU on Oct. 22.

"We want to be built by believers," he said.

The Irish completed their preseason with a 71-63 exhibition victory over DePaul in Chicago on Oct. 23.

Brady Koehler and Braeden Smith combined for 36 points on 12-for-24 shooting, according to Notre Dame athletics.

Koehler led the team with five assists. Notre Dame made 12 three-pointers, with Koehler, Smith, Ethan Roberts and freshman Jonathan Sanderson hitting three apiece.

The Irish trailed by one point at halftime before pulling away in the second half.

Rome trip includes Vatican events

The trip brings together two Catholic universities for basketball and events recognizing their shared religious traditions.

Teams and traveling supporters are scheduled to attend a private Mass at St. Peter's Basilica and an audience with Pope Leo XIV in the Paul VI Audience Hall, according to the National Catholic Register.

The planned papal audience is subject to the pope's schedule.

Leo, a 1977 Villanova graduate, is not expected to attend the basketball games themselves.

Fifth-year Notre Dame player Ethan Roberts said the visit to St. Peter's Basilica carries personal significance because St. Peter was his confirmation saint.

The Register also reported that some Notre Dame players will be traveling outside the United States for the first time.

Organizers expect thousands of supporters to travel to Rome for the games and related activities.

Nine-game home stretch awaits

After the overseas opener, Notre Dame will return to a schedule that includes a program-record nine consecutive home games at Purcell Pavilion.

The stretch runs from Nov. 24 through Jan. 6 and includes meetings with TCU and Ohio State, along with the first two Atlantic Coast Conference contests against Stanford and Virginia Tech.

According to the university's schedule announcement, the previous record for consecutive home games was seven.

For Shrewsberry and his players, Sunday's opener offers a chance to begin a new season on an international stage before returning to South Bend for much of the early schedule.