The Indiana Pacers will play another global game during the 2026-27 season. The team announced that they will travel to Mexico City for a showing in November of this year as a part of the NBA’s Mexico City Game.
It will be a regular season game played against the Denver Nuggets on November 7. That date is intentional – it’s during the week of Día de Muertos celebrations, and that will be a theme in the arena during the outing.
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“We’re thrilled to bring Indiana Pacers basketball to Mexico City during such a meaningful and vibrant time of year,” said Pacers President and CEO Mel Raines. “This is a great opportunity to celebrate our growing fan base in Mexico and across Latin America, while also recognizing the strong Hispanic and Latin American communities here in Indiana.”
The meeting will take place in Arena CDMX, which has hosted the Mexico City Game for more than a decade. The NBA has been playing regular season games in Mexico city since 1997 and has held preseason games there for even longer.
According to the league, it will be their 35th game played in Mexico ever. That’s more than any country besides the United States and Canada. The game will be broadcast on ESPN in Mexico and is expected to reach fans in more than 200 countries.
The Pacers and Nuggets both have reached the NBA Finals in recent years – Indiana fell in the 2025 title series while Denver won a championship in 2023. Fans in Mexico City will be treated to high-quality basketball featuring multiple star players.
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“The NBA Mexico City Game continues to give fans in Mexico a front‑row connection to the league, its teams and its players. Hosting our 35th game in the country reflects the depth of the NBA’s relationship with Mexico and the role this event plays in bringing the global game to fans locally, across Latin America and around the world,” said Raul Zarraga, who holds the title of NBA Latin America and Canada Senior Vice President and Head of Operations.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 30: Tyrese Haliburton #0 of the Indiana Pacers passes the ball while being guarded by Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on March 30, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
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Early last year, the Pacers went to Paris as a part of the NBA Global Games and battled the San Antonio Spurs twice. That was challenging due to the travel distance required for both teams. “I’ll keep it a stack, I’m definitely tired,” former Pacers center Myles Turner said.
That won’t be an issue for a game in Mexico City, which is much closer to the United States. Both Indiana and Denver could make it a part of their regular travels without too much issue.
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Have the Pacers or Nuggets played in Mexico before?
For the Pacers, it will be their 12th game ever played outside of either the United States or Canada. They’ve played eight preseason games overseas, which includes stops in Germany, Spain, Taiwan, China, the Philippines, and India. Two of those meetings came against the Nuggets.
The Pacers also have played three regular season games far from home – one in London, England in 2017, then the two in Paris last season. The outing in London was actually also against the Nuggets.
That is Denver’s only regular season game ever outside of the United States or Canada. They have played six preseason games that meet that criteria, including action in Puerto Rico, Taiwan, China, the United Arab Emirates, and Mexico. While the Nuggets have played in Mexico before, they were in Monterrey in 2006 rather than Mexico City.
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On top of their prior meeting in London, the Pacers and Nuggets met in preseason games played in Taipei and Beijing during the 2009 preseason. This will actually be the fourth matchup between the two franchises played overseas.
The Pacers 2025-26 season ended on Sunday while the Nuggets begin their 2026 playoff run this weekend.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com