The NHL is considering staging Global Series or similar games in Mexico, Steve Mayer, the league’s chief content officer, said on ESPN’s “The Drop” podcast earlier this week.
“Mexico City is on a short list because our teams are very interested in going there and exploring that market,” Mayer said on the podcast. “There are teams that would really love to go to Mexico.”
The NHL’s Global Series started back up in 2017 and has travelled to Australia, Sweden, Czechia, Finland, Germany and Switzerland.
Logical candidates to participate in a potential series in Mexico would be the Los Angeles Kings, Arizona Coyotes and Dallas Stars, all of whom have significant ties to the country and culture beyond geographic proximity. The Kings and Stars, in particular, have held portions of training camps in Mexico.
Logic would also dictate the games would be indoors, but an outdoor venue has not been ruled out if Mayer’s comments are any indication.
“Mexico City, because of the climate, might be a little more difficult to go with an outdoor game,” Mayer said. “But those things are challenges for us that we love to take on.”
The most famous sports venue in the country, Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, seats 105,000.
The NHL has never held a game in Mexico, unlike the three other major North American sports.
