Wizards to face Heat in Mexico City on November 2

The Wiz are going international!

The NBA announced Friday that this year’s NBA Mexico City Game will see the Washington Wizards face the Miami Heat at Arena CDMX in Mexico City on Saturday, Nov. 2.

The game, which will be hosted by Zignia Liva, was announced during the first-ever NBA House in Mexico, an interactive fan event ahead of Game 4 of the NBA Finals Friday night.

“Bringing the Heat and the Wizards to Mexico City next season in conjunction with ‘Día de los Muertos’ will mark another special milestone in the NBA’s long history in Mexico,” NBA Mexico Senior Vice President and Managing Director Raul Zarraga said in a release. “The game and surrounding events will serve as the ultimate celebration of the NBA for fans in Mexico and across Latin America at a time when the momentum around basketball in the region is at an all-time high.”

This will be the 33rd NBA game in Mexico since 1992, the most any country outside the U.S. and Canada has hosted, and the theme of ‘Dia de los Muertos’ (Day of the Dead) will be prevalent in the arena, including with a specially-themed court.

“We are delighted at the opportunity to represent the NBA and Washington, D.C. at the Global Games and are proud that our team reflects the growing globalization of the NBA,” Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger said. “Previous Washington Bullets and Wizards teams have had the opportunity of playing in Mexico City. We are honored to follow in their footsteps and look forward to introducing this new Wizards team to NBA fans in Mexico City.”

This will indeed mark the Wizards’ fourth game in Mexico but first regular season game, as they played two exhibition games there in 1995 and one in 2000. Their last international game was just two seasons ago, when they played two exhibition games against the Warriors in Japan in 2022, and their most recent regular-season international game was a 2019 matchup with the Knicks in London.

For those interested in going, fans can register their interest in tickets and receive access to an exclusive pre-sale on July 10 and 11 at www.nbamexicocitygame.mx . Tickets for the game will go on sale to the public on July 12, and the NBA is offering special ticket packages with premium access, VIP experiences, hospitality and local hotel accommodations at https://nbaexperiences.com/nba-mexico-city-game-2024 .

Orlando faced Atlanta in last season’s Mexico City game, and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has said in the past that Mexico City would be in consideration if and when the league expands again.