Villanova football will leave the Coastal Athletic Association following this season and join the Patriot League in 2026.

In a Patriot League release issued Thursday morning, the league announced that Villanova would be Pennsylvania’s fourth school in the Patriot League and its 10th football-playing member overall as of the 2026 season, joining longtime members Bucknell, Lehigh, Lafayette, Colgate, Fordham, Georgetown, and Holy Cross.

Villanova will leave the Coastal Athletic Association — its home football conference for the last 18 seasons — and join the Patriot League beginning in 2026, the school announced Thursday morning. The football program,