NBA schedules Pelicans-Spurs games in Europe

The NBA said on Wednesday that the New Orleans Pelicans and San Antonio Spurs will play two regular-season games in Europe in January 2027, sending the teams to Paris and Manchester as part of the league’s multiyear slate of games on the continent. The league said the teams will meet at Accor Arena in Paris on Thursday, Jan. 14, 2027, and again at Co-op Live in Manchester, England, on Sunday, Jan. 17, 2027. The announcement was made in an official NBA release and echoed on the league’s social media accounts. ### Which teams are going, and where will they play? The Pelicans and Spurs are the two clubs selected for both 2027 games, according to the NBA’s release. The Paris game will be played at Accor Arena, and the Manchester game will be played at Co-op Live. Both games will count as official regular-season contests and affect league standings, according to the NBA’s event pages and FAQs. (pr.nba.com) Paris has hosted NBA regular-season games before, while Manchester has not. The NBA said the Jan. 14 matchup will be the 16th game featuring an NBA team in France since 1991 and the league’s sixth regular-season game in Paris. The Jan. 17 matchup will be the 20th game featuring an NBA team in England since 1993, the league’s second game in Manchester and the city’s first regular-season NBA game. (pr.nba.com) ### Why is Manchester part of this announcement now? The NBA had already flagged Manchester and Paris as its 2027 host cities last year. In a July 31, 2025 release announcing a three-year Europe schedule, the league said it would stage games in Berlin and London in 2026, Manchester and Paris in 2027, and Berlin and Paris in 2028, with teams and dates for the later years to be announced closer to those seasons. Wednesday’s release filled in those missing 2027 details. (pr.nba.com) Co-op Live is the named venue for the Manchester game. The NBA’s Manchester event page says the 2027 game will be the first regular-season NBA game held in the city. ### Why these two franchises? San Antonio brings one of the league’s most internationally recognizable young stars in Victor Wembanyama, a French player whose presence gives the Paris stop particular local relevance. (nba.com) The NBA’s Paris event materials for 2027 highlight the Spurs and Pelicans as the participating teams, though the league’s release announcing the games did not give a separate on-record explanation for the selection. (nbaevents.nba.com) That link to France is an inference based on Wembanyama’s nationality and the league’s choice of opponent and venue, not a stated reason in the release. New Orleans confirmed in a team post that it will face San Antonio on Jan. 14 in Paris and Jan. 17 in Manchester. The Spurs’ schedule page also reflects the club’s current season activity, but the Europe announcement itself came through league and team news posts rather than the standard schedule grid. ### When will fans get tickets and broadcast details? (pr.nba.com) The NBA has not yet announced general ticket-sale dates for either game. The Paris Game 2027 FAQ says official general-sale dates will be announced later, and the Manchester event page says fans can register to receive updates on teams, dates and news as information is released. The league said fans can track updates through its Europe Games and city-specific event pages. (nba.com) Those pages are already collecting registrations for future ticket and event information, while team-specific details on broadcasts and other logistics are expected closer to Jan. 14 and Jan. 17, 2027. (nbaevents.nba.com 1) (nbaevents.nba.com 2)