NBA Regular-Season Games Played Outside the United States and Canada

The NBA spent decades developing an international presence through exhibition and preseason games before eventually taking official regular-season contests overseas.

The breakthrough came on November 2, 1990, when the Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz opened the 1990-91 season in Tokyo, Japan. It was the first regular-season game played by a major North American professional sports league outside North America.

Since that historic game, official NBA regular-season contests have been played in Japan, Mexico, England, France and Germany. Mexico has become the league's most frequently used international regular-season destination, while London and Paris have emerged as major European hosts.

Through January 18, 2026, the NBA has played 43 regular-season games outside the United States and Canada.

This page covers official NBA regular-season games. Preseason, exhibition and games involving international club teams are discussed separately below.

Japan was the birthplace of the NBA's international regular-season program. The Phoenix Suns and Utah Jazz played a two-game series in Tokyo to begin the 1990-91 season.

The NBA returned to Japan for regular-season opening games in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2003. In all, Japan hosted 12 regular-season games in Tokyo, Yokohama and Saitama.

After the 2003 series, later NBA Japan Games were played as preseason contests rather than regular-season games.

The NBA's international regular-season history began on November 2, 1990 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

Phoenix defeated Utah 119-96 behind 38 points from Tom Chambers. Karl Malone scored 33 for the Jazz.

The teams returned the following night and produced a much closer game. Utah defeated Phoenix 102-101, giving the two clubs a split of the historic two-game series.

The games demonstrated that an NBA regular-season contest could be successfully staged thousands of miles away from the league's North American home markets.

Mexico has hosted more NBA games overall than any country outside the United States and Canada, including both preseason and regular-season contests.

The first NBA regular-season game in Mexico was played on December 6, 1997, when the Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 108-106 at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City.

After a long gap, regular-season basketball returned to Mexico City in 2014. The city has since become one of the NBA's most consistent Global Games destinations.

Through the 2025 Mexico City Game, Mexico has hosted 15 NBA regular-season contests.

Several major individual performances have taken place in Mexico City.

Luka Doncic recorded 41 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists when Dallas defeated Detroit in December 2019, producing one of the most memorable performances in the history of the NBA's Mexico games.

Trae Young scored 41 points when Atlanta edged Orlando 120-119 in 2023.

Bam Adebayo scored 32 points in Miami's 118-98 victory over Washington in 2024.

In 2025, Detroit center Jalen Duren scored 33 points as the Pistons defeated Dallas 122-110.

London became the first European city to host an NBA regular-season game when the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors met at The O2 in March 2011.

The teams played two games, with the second becoming an instant classic. New Jersey defeated Toronto 137-136 in triple overtime.

Beginning in 2013, London hosted a regular-season game almost every January through 2019. After a seven-year absence, the NBA returned in January 2026 with the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic.

All 10 London regular-season games have been played at The O2.

Paris became the fourth city outside North America to host an NBA regular-season game when Milwaukee defeated Charlotte 116-103 on January 24, 2020.

After international NBA games were interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic, Paris returned to the schedule in 2023. Chicago defeated Detroit, followed by Cleveland's victory over Brooklyn in 2024.

The 2025 NBA Paris Games marked the first time the league staged two regular-season games in Paris during the same season. French star Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs faced the Indiana Pacers twice at Accor Arena.

The 2025 Paris Games carried special significance because San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama was playing an NBA regular-season game in his native France for the first time.

Wembanyama delivered 30 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks as San Antonio defeated Indiana 140-110 in the first game on January 23.

Two days later, Indiana reversed the result dramatically, defeating San Antonio 136-98. The 38-point margin was the largest victory in an NBA Global Game at that time.

Germany became the fifth country outside the United States and Canada to host an NBA regular-season game on January 15, 2026.

The Orlando Magic defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 118-111 at Uber Arena in Berlin.

The game was particularly notable for Orlando because German brothers Franz Wagner and Moritz Wagner were members of the Magic organization, giving the event a strong local connection.

The Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic played twice during their January 2026 European trip.

Orlando won the first game 118-111 in Berlin on January 15, giving Germany its first NBA regular-season contest.

Three days later, the teams moved to London. Memphis answered with a 126-109 victory at The O2.

The two games represented the beginning of a new multi-year series of NBA regular-season games in Europe.

The NBA's international schedule continues to expand. The games below have been officially announced but had not yet been played as of October 2026.

The 2027 game at Manchester's Co-op Live will mark the first NBA regular-season game played in Manchester.

The league has also announced plans for regular-season games in Berlin and Paris during 2028 as part of its multi-year European schedule.

Regular-season games tell only part of the NBA's international story. NBA teams have played preseason or exhibition games in many additional countries and territories.

International NBA events have been staged in locations including Italy, Spain, Israel, Germany, France, England, China, Taiwan, the Philippines, India, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, the United Arab Emirates and Australia.

The league's international exhibition history actually predates the regular-season program. NBA teams were traveling overseas for competitive exhibitions years before Phoenix and Utah opened the 1990-91 season in Japan.

The NBA has continued expanding its preseason footprint in the 2020s.

Abu Dhabi began hosting NBA preseason games in 2022 and has become an annual destination in the United Arab Emirates.

In October 2025, the New Orleans Pelicans became the first NBA team to play games in Australia, facing Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix.

The NBA also returned to China in 2025 with preseason games in Macao, while Brooklyn and Phoenix participated in the league's return to the market.

Additional China Games featuring the Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets were scheduled for Macao in October 2026.

International games have evolved from occasional exhibitions into an important part of the NBA calendar.

The earliest games were designed primarily to introduce the league to new audiences. Modern Global Games serve several purposes at once: expanding the NBA's worldwide fan base, supporting international media partnerships, showcasing global players in their home regions and testing markets capable of hosting major NBA events.

Japan established that the regular season could travel overseas. London opened the European regular-season market. Mexico City became the league's most consistent international destination. Paris developed into a major annual event, and Berlin joined the regular-season map in 2026.

The trend continues to move outward. With Mexico City, Paris, Manchester and additional European games already announced, the NBA's regular season is increasingly becoming an international event rather than a competition played exclusively in the United States and Canada.

The totals on this page count only official NBA regular-season games played outside the United States and Canada.

Games played in Toronto or Vancouver as ordinary home games for Canadian NBA franchises are not considered international Global Games for purposes of this list.

Preseason, exhibition, Summer League and games between NBA teams and international club teams are also excluded from the regular-season totals.

Future games are listed separately and are not included in the completed-game totals until they are played.

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