Villanova Basketball To See Pope, Vatican With Season Opener In Rome

VILLANOVA, PA — Villanova University alumnus Pope Leo XIV won't have to travel far to watch his alma mater's basketball teams next season.

The Villanova men's and women's basketball teams will open the 2026-27 season with a doubleheader in Rome, Italy.

The trip was inspired by the recent election of Pope Leo XIV — a Villanova alumnus and Augustinian friar.

Before the games, attendees will have the opportunity for a shared Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and a planned papal audience with the pope. Student-athletes from the Catholic universities will also get private tours of the Vatican Museums.

"This extraordinary experience reflects the very best of Villanova’s Augustinian Catholic mission — uniting faith, learning and community in a global setting," said the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, president of Villanova University.

The men's game will air nationally on FOX at 9:30 a.m. ET on Nov. 1, followed by the women's game on FS1 at noon.

Pope Leo XIV earned his bachelor of science in mathematics from Villanova in 1977. As a college student, he worked as a cemetery groundskeeper at St. Denis Catholic Church in Havertown.

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• 'We Celebrate This Significant Day': Villanova Reacts To New Pope, A Hometown Hero
• The Delco Pope: Robert Francis Prevost Claimed As Local
• Pope Leo XIV Rocks Villanova Ball Cap At National Italian American Foundation Meeting

On Location will offer official travel packages. Additional details, including the venue, will be announced as plans are finalized.