The NBA will not hold preseason games in the Middle East this year, ending a four-season run of exhibition games in the region.
The decision comes as the league adjusts its international schedule because of the ongoing war involving Iran and the wider security concerns surrounding the region. ESPN first reported the change, citing sources familiar with the league’s plans. Reuters later confirmed the report.
The NBA had not formally announced any Middle East games for the 2026-27 preseason. However, league officials had reportedly discussed possible participation with the Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, and Washington Wizards.
Those talks did not result in a final schedule. No alternative international location has been announced for the games that could have been played in the Middle East.
The NBA had also considered holding its first preseason game in Doha, Qatar. One possible arrangement reportedly involved two NBA teams playing one game in Doha and another in Abu Dhabi during the same overseas trip.
Doha is preparing to host the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup, which could have made an NBA preseason game an important promotional event before the international tournament. Those plans are now on hold, and the league has not announced when it might reconsider playing in Qatar.
The cancellation represents the first interruption in the NBA’s annual Abu Dhabi series since it began in 2022.
The Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks played the first NBA preseason games in the United Arab Emirates in October 2022. Both games were held at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, with the Hawks winning twice.
The Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves traveled to Abu Dhabi in 2023. Minnesota won both games in that series.
The league returned in 2024 with a matchup between the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets. The teams had won the two previous NBA championships, giving the event two of the league’s most recognizable and successful rosters. Boston won both games.
The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers continued the series in October 2025. The Knicks won both contests at Etihad Arena, completing the fourth straight year of NBA preseason basketball in Abu Dhabi.
The Abu Dhabi games have included more than basketball. The NBA has organized fan festivals, youth clinics, appearances by former players, concerts, merchandise sales, and community programs around the preseason events.
These activities have allowed the league to reach fans who may never have an opportunity to attend an NBA game in North America. They have also helped Abu Dhabi promote itself as a destination for major sporting and entertainment events.
International games are an important part of the NBA’s long-term growth strategy. They provide direct access to fans in other countries while creating opportunities for television coverage, sponsorships, merchandise sales, tourism partnerships, and youth basketball development.
Preseason games are particularly useful for international expansion because they do not affect the regular-season standings. Teams can travel overseas, promote the league, and play competitive exhibition games without giving up a regular-season home date.
The trips can still present challenges. Players and coaching staffs must adjust to long flights, time-zone changes, security arrangements, and altered training schedules shortly before the regular season begins.
Those complications become more serious during a military conflict. Even when a host city is located away from the fighting, the league must consider regional air travel, insurance, emergency planning, possible flight disruptions, and the safety of players, employees, sponsors, media workers, and fans.
The decision does not appear to represent a permanent NBA withdrawal from Abu Dhabi.
In January 2026, the NBA and the Department of Culture and Tourism–Abu Dhabi announced a long-term extension of their partnership. The agreement included plans for future preseason games, expanded marketing programs, additional youth activities, and an NBA Global Academy in the UAE capital.
The academy is intended to provide year-round basketball and academic development for leading high-school-age players from the UAE, the wider Middle East, and other parts of the world. The partnership also calls for expanded Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA programs.
More than 20,000 boys and girls have participated in NBA-linked youth programs in the area since 2022, according to the league. The NBA plans to continue expanding those programs even though the professional preseason games will not be held in the region this year.
That continuing relationship suggests the 2026 scheduling change is a pause caused by security conditions rather than a change in the league’s overall international strategy.
The NBA remains interested in growing basketball across the Middle East. Abu Dhabi has become one of its most established international preseason locations, while Qatar remains a possible future market because of its role as host of the 2027 FIBA World Cup.
Much will depend on conditions in the region and whether teams can travel safely. The league will also need enough time to organize transportation, accommodations, arena operations, television production, ticket sales, and promotional events.
For now, the annual series has been interrupted by circumstances outside the sport. The NBA may return when conditions permit, but the absence of Middle East games this year shows how quickly international sports plans can be affected by war and regional instability.