From Abu Dhabi to Tokyo: Complete list of preseason and regular season international NBA games

Kyle Irving

From Abu Dhabi to Tokyo: Complete list of preseason and regular season international NBA games image

Back in August, the NBA announced that the Heat and Spurs would face off in Mexico City on Dec. 17.

The head-to-head battle between Miami and San Antonio will be played at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, marking the first NBA Mexico City Game since 2019. This will be the league's 31st game in Mexico.

The first-ever international game played between NBA teams was in 1984 when the Phoenix Suns and New Jersey Nets traveled to Milan, Italy for a preseason. Six years later, in 1990, the NBA played its first regular-season game away from North America when the Suns and Utah Jazz competed in Tokyo, Japan.

Since then, the NBA has consistently played both preseason and regular-season games in South America and overseas, with Mexico City being the latest destination.

Take a look below to find the international countries that have hosted the most NBA games.

All-time international NBA preseason games

There have been 78 NBA preseason games played outside of North America. The first NBA preseason game to take place on international soil was between the Suns and Nets on Sept. 11, 1984, in Milan, Italy.

The most recent NBA preseason game to take place outside of North America was this past October, when the Bucks and Hawks faced off in Abu Dhabi.

Take a look at which international countries have hosted the most NBA preseason games:

Country Total games First game Last game Cities
China 25 Oct. 14, 2004 Oct. 12, 2019 Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen
Mexico 19 Oct. 27, 1992 Oct. 7, 2012 Mexico City, Monterrey
England 6 Oct. 30, 1993 Oct. 8, 2013 London, Manchester
Puerto Rico 6 Oct. 30, 1993 Oct. 10, 2006 San Juan
France 3 Oct. 18, 1994 Oct. 6, 2010 Paris
Germany 3 Oct. 18, 1996 Oct. 14, 2008 Berlin, Cologne
Brazil 2 Oct. 12, 2013 Oct. 11, 2014 Rio de Janeiro
India 2 Oct. 4, 2019 Oct. 5, 2019 Mumbai
Italy 2 Sept. 11, 1984 Oct. 6, 2007 Milan, Rome
Japan 2 Oct. 8, 2019 Oct. 10, 2019 Saitama
Spain 2 Oct. 20, 1996 Oct. 17, 2008 Seville, Barcelona
Taiwan 2 Oct. 8, 2009 Oct. 13, 2013 Taipei
Dominican Republic 1 Oct. 11, 2002 Oct. 11, 2002 Santo Domingo
Philippines 1 Oct. 10, 2013 Oct. 10, 2013 Manila
United Arab Emirates 1 Oct. 6, 2022 Oct. 8, 2022 Abu Dhabi

All-time international NBA regular season games

There have been 33 NBA regular season games played on international soil. The first NBA regular season game to take place outside of North America was between the Suns and Jazz on Nov. 2, 1990, in Tokyo, Japan.

The most recent NBA regular season game to take place internationally was between the Bucks and Hornets on Jan. 24, 2020, in Paris, France.

Take a look at which countries have hosted the most NBA regular season games:

Country Total games First game Last game Cities
Japan 12 Nov. 2, 1990 Nov. 1, 2003 Tokyo, Yokohama, Saitama
Mexico 11 Dec. 7, 1997 Dec. 14, 2019 Mexico City
England 9 March 4, 2011 Jan. 17, 2019 London
France 1 Jan. 24, 2020 Jan. 24, 2020 Paris

Kyle Irving

Kyle Irving Photo

You read that wrong – not Kyrie Irving. From Boston, graduated from the University of New Hampshire. Sixth season as a content producer for NBA.com's Global editions. Covering the NBA Draft has become his annual "dream come true" moment on the job. Irving has a soft spot for pass-first point guards, with Rajon Rondo and Steve Nash being two of his favorite players of all time.