Grizzlies and Magic set to play NBA regular-season games in Berlin and London
Photo Credit: Orlando Magic
On Wednesday morning, the National Basketball Association announced that the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic will play regular-season games in Berlin, Germany, on Thursday, January 15, 2026, and in London, England, on Sunday, January 18, 2026. The NBA also announced that the league will play international regular-season games in Manchester, England, and Paris, France, in 2027, and Berlin and Paris in 2028. The teams for those games were not revealed.
“Announcing the next three season’s regular-season games in Europe reflects the incredible momentum and appetite for NBA basketball in France, Germany, the UK and across the region,” said George Aivazoglou, NBA Managing Director, Europe and Middle East. “We look forward to welcoming the Grizzlies and the Magic to Berlin and London and to engaging fans, players and the local communities through the games and the surrounding events.”
The NBA Berlin Game 2026 will mark the first time the league returns to Germany since 1984. It will be the 14th time an NBA team has played in the country and will be the league’s first regular-season game in Germany. The 2026 and 2028 NBA Berlin Games will be held at Uber Arena in the Friedrichshain neighborhood of Berlin, Germany.
The NBA London Game 2026 will be the 16th time an NBA team has played a game in the United Kingdom, and will mark the 10th regular-season game in London. The Grizzlies and Magic will play their second European game at the O2 Arena on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London, England.
The Grizzlies, representing the Western Conference, will be playing their fifth and sixth games in Europe, but first in Berlin and London. They last played in Europe in 2007 when they played two preseason games in Spain. The two games against the Magic will be the first regular-season games the Grizzlies will play outside of North America.
“We appreciate the opportunity to represent the NBA and to represent the city of Memphis and state of Tennessee on an international stage in Berlin and London,” said Jason Wexler, Grizzlies President. “This is a first for our franchise, and we are excited for fans worldwide to see the talents of the Memphis Grizzlies on full display.”
The Berlin game will be a homecoming of sorts for Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo. Hired by the Grizzlies in July 2024 as an assistant, he was named interim head coach in March and promoted to full-time head coach in early May 2025. Before coming to the NBA, the first Finnish-born NBA coach had a decorated career coaching in Europe. From 2021 to 2023, Iisalo was named Bundesliga Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons with the Telekom Baskets Bonn in Bonn, Germany. He led Baskets Bonn to a Champions League title in 2023.
The Grizzlies finished eighth in the Western Conference last season and were swept in the first round of the NBA Playoffs by the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Magic are no strangers to playing games outside the United States. Their two international games in 2026 will mark the 14th and 15th games they’ve played outside the U.S. and Canada, and their fourth and fifth games in Europe. The Magic have played three times in London (1993 and 2016), but never in Germany.
“Having proudly represented the NBA and the City of Orlando in Brazil, China, England, Japan and Mexico through The NBA Global Games, we are always honored to showcase our team on the world stage,” said Charlie Freeman, Magic President of Business Operations. “These upcoming games mark our 14th and 15th international appearances, and we are continually inspired by the passion and enthusiasm of fans across the globe. We are especially excited to bring the Orlando Magic to Berlin and London, and we look forward to connecting with both new and familiar fans and partners alike.”
The Magic were part of the first-ever game played in Europe featuring two NBA teams. In 1993, the Magic beat the Atlanta Hawks in a preseason game in London. The two teams played another preseason game the next day, where the Hawks walked away winners. The Magic’s last game in London was a 2016 regular-season loss to the Toronto Raptors. Most recently, the Magic played an international game in Mexico City, Mexico, a loss to the Hawks in November 2023.
The Berlin game will be extremely special for three Magic players. German-Brazilian forward Tristan da Silva was born and raised in Munich, Germany. He played in various German basketball leagues before committing to play college basketball at the University of Colorado. German brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner, both forwards for the Magic, were born and raised in Berlin. They both began their professional careers in the Basketball Bundesliga for Alba Berlin, who play at Uber Arena. The Wagner brothers attended the University of Michigan and represent the German National Basketball Team on the international level.
“To have the Orlando Magic and the NBA play a regular-season game in our hometown of Berlin means everything to us,” said the Wagner brothers. “ Growing up here, we dreamed of moments like this. It’s a huge honor to represent Berlin and Germany and show how much the city and country love basketball. We hope we can inspire kids the way we were inspired watching games from afar.”
The Magic finished seventh in the East last season and fell in the first round of the NBA Playoffs to the Boston Celtics.
The Grizzlies and Magic played twice last season, with the Grizzlies winning both contests. The Grizzlies have won seven of their last eight games against the Magic, dating back to the 2020-21 season. Barring any schedule changes, the games between the Grizzlies and Magic in Europe will be the only two times they play each other during the 2025-26 season.
