Game time, broadcasts and team updates
NBA.com lists tipoff for the 2026 Mexico City Game at 5 p.m. ET, or 4 p.m. in Mexico City. Tickets sold out after public sales opened Friday, May 29.
U.S. viewers can watch on NBA TV or NBA League Pass. ESPN carries the game live in Mexico, with coverage also available across Latin America. The event reaches fans in more than 200 countries and territories.
Denver center Nikola Jokić enters the matchup nine triple-doubles away from passing former teammate Russell Westbrook for the NBA career record. He reached 201 with a 32-point, 10-rebound, 11-assist performance against Toronto in the Nuggets' final game before the trip, according to NBA.com.
Indiana will be without All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton. NBA.com reports that his hamstring injury is expected to sideline him for at least another week.
A regular stop on the NBA calendar
With this matchup, Mexico's NBA hosting total reaches 35 games: 16 regular-season contests and 19 preseason games since 1992. The league has brought regular-season basketball to the country for five consecutive years. This is its 15th regular-season game there since 2014, following one held in 1997.
Arena CDMX has been the venue for every NBA game in Mexico City since it opened in 2012. The building also serves as home court for the NBA G League's Mexico City Capitanes.
For the third straight year, the event takes place during the week of traditional Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, celebrations. A specially themed court and in-arena fan activities are part of the occasion.
A large audience, but no immediate expansion plan
Raul Zarraga, who oversees NBA operations in Latin America and Canada, describes Mexico as one of the league's top priorities. He points to its infrastructure, audience, business activity and momentum as reasons for its appeal.
The NBA has cultivated that market through youth and coaching programs, NBA House fan events and localized content. Mexico has 30 million NBA fans; last season, 21.6 million unique viewers in the country watched live game broadcasts on streaming platforms. The league also reports 8 million users and 200 million annual engagements across its digital presence there.
That emphasis does not place Mexico in the NBA's current expansion process, Zarraga said. In March, the Board of Governors authorized a formal study of Las Vegas and Seattle as potential expansion markets, while Mexico remains outside the league's immediate franchise-expansion plans.
