MEXICO CITY, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The National Basketball Association (NBA) will play two regular season games in Mexico City this week, the city's mayor, Miguel Angel Mancera, announced Tuesday.

"We said we would begin the year with world-class sporting events. Here is the NBA for boys and girls, we know it is a great opportunity to see these athletes," said Mancera at a press conference.

The Ciudad de Mexico Arena will see the Phoenix Suns face the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 12, while the Suns will face the San Antonio Spurs on Jan. 14.

This is the first time the NBA will hold two regular season games outside the U.S. and Canada.

Mancera added that other events would take place in parallel of the games. The Mexico City NBA Fan Zone is being set up in the Chapultepec Park, where visitors will be able to discover the sport and learn about the history of the NBA.

The Fan Zone will be open from Jan. 13-15 with an NBA cultural area, basketball courts, a photo gallery and play areas for children.

The NBA is also renovating four basketball courts at the Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City in Mexico City, in order to provide a totally renovated area for young people to play basketball.