NBA expansion in Mexico, Digi Mart USA News (Mexico): Mexico received more NBA games than any country outside the United States and Canada, has a G League franchise and roughly 30 million fans, but none of that has yet earned a team in the world’s top basketball league. The league’s expansion plans center on Las Vegas and Seattle, and Mexico City is not part of them.
“Right now, expansion into Mexico is not in the plans; they are focusing mainly on this pair of cities. Mexico is at the level and perhaps in the future, but right now there is no plan,” said Raúl Zárraga, Head of Operations NBA LATAM and Canada, in an interview with Sports Illustrated Mexico.
The NBA Board of Governors authorized a process in March 2026 to study bringing franchises to Las Vegas and Seattle, and the league hired the investment bank PJT Partners to evaluate potential owners, infrastructure and economic conditions. The league has not yet approved the creation of new teams.
Commissioner Adam Silver mentioned Mexico City on October 20 as a possibility over the long term. Zárraga said that acknowledgment does not mean a formal evaluation is underway.
Zárraga pointed to Mexico’s proximity to the United States, shared time zones, infrastructure and the size of its fan base as advantages for the country.
“Regardless of what happens there, there are currently no plans for a particular or dedicated analysis of an NBA expansion here in Mexico,” he said.
Although Mexico is not part of the expansion plans, the NBA maintains a permanent presence in the country through the Capitanes de Ciudad de México, a G League team that will play 24 home games at Arena CDMX during the 2026-27 season.
“No other country in the world outside the United States has 24 G League games a year like we do with the Capitanes,” Zárraga said, adding that this offering lets fans experience something close to an NBA game beyond the annual regular-season matchup.
The NBA also does not plan to take regular-season games to Guadalajara or Monterrey, although Zárraga believes both cities have the conditions to host them.
“It’s not that anything is missing,” he replied when asked about the requirements for moving games out of the capital.
The executive said the population, fan base and infrastructure would in principle allow a game to be organized in those cities, though he acknowledged he has not yet visited the Guadalajara arena in person.
“Right now we are fully focused on Mexico City,” he explained.
Zárraga said the capital’s relationship with the league and the Capitanes also generates interest in basketball in other regions, so the NBA sees no need to change its venue strategy.
On November 7, the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers will play the NBA’s 35th game in Mexico at Arena CDMX, a total that no country outside the United States and Canada matches. The game will again be in the capital, with two visiting teams.
