Planning to see Wemby in Paris or Manchester? A Million People Are Already in Line!

It was widely anticipated that the return of the Spurs, and Victor Wembanyama, to Europe for two more 2026/27 regular season games would ignite a frenzy for tickets. However, the scale of demand revealed this Tuesday has surpassed all expectations. According to the NBA, approximately one million pre-registrations have been received for tickets to the two games between the Spurs and Pelicans in January, set to take place in Paris and Manchester. This marks the highest-ever demand for NBA games in Europe.

The NBA Paris Game 2027 will be held at the Accor Arena (capacity 16,500) in Paris on January 14th, while the NBA Manchester Game 2027 will follow two days later at the Co-op Live (capacity 20,500) in Manchester.

For the French capital, this will be the sixth time it hosts a regular season game, marking the 16th NBA team game in France since 1991. Manchester's situation is quite different, as it will be making its debut for an official NBA fixture, though it will be the 20th game featuring an NBA team in England since 1993. Both teams will be playing in Manchester for the first time, while the Pelicans will be making their debut in the City of Light.

It's worth recalling that the Spurs played in Paris in January 2025, splitting victories with the Pacers. Wembanyama's presence created a sensation in the city; he inaugurated courts and helped break television audience records for a basketball game in the country, only surpassed by the Paris 2024 Olympic Games final between France and the United States.

That season saw the Pacers, who won the second game, go on to compete in the Finals against the Thunder. Wemby and the Texas squad also experienced a Finals run in June against the Knicks, in a season where the San Antonio center was unanimously named Defensive Player of the Year, made both the All-NBA First Team and the All-Defensive First Team, led the NBA with 197 blocks, and averaged 25.0 points and 11.5 rebounds.

The Spurs concluded the regular season with a 62-20 record, while the Pelicans, featuring Zion Williamson, finished with a 26-56 record.