While the rest of the 2025-26 regular season schedule will not be released until later this summer, the Detroit Pistons have been selected by the NBA to take part in one of the league's premier matchups outside of the United States of America.
For the 34th time since the league began playing the game in 1992, the NBA will be coming to Mexico City, and the Pistons are set to face off against presumptive No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 1 at the Arena CDMX.
The NBA just announced that Dallas and Detroit will play a regular-season game next season in Mexico City on Nov. 1, 2025.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 11, 2025
This matchup will mark Detroit's third time playing for the fans in Mexico, as the Pistons last played south of the border in 2019, which resulted in a loss to Dallas. Detroit's first appearance in Mexico came against the Washington Bullets in a preseason matchup ahead of the 1996-96 campaign.
The NBA has prided itself on elevating the game of basketball on a global scale, and these are the kind of matchups that help promote the league. The Mavericks have plenty of star power already on the roster and the top pick in the draft on the way. Understanding why the NBA wanted to feature them in this game is relatively easy.
The Pistons, on the other hand, have less of a direct connection to the country than any of the Texas franchises would. However, Detroit completed one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in league history during the 2024-25 campaign as their playoff drought came to an end. Their inclusion in this matchup shows just how highly the decision-makers in the league office think of the roster that is in place, as well as the Pistons' plan for the future.
With the schedule of games for opening night, Christmas, and Martin Luther King Jr. Day yet to be announced, it wouldn't be surprising to see the league feature Detroit's young and exciting roster in some of those marquee game days as well.
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