Big 12 Launches 'Big 12 Mexico' As Conference Will Start With Basketball In 2024, Football Bowl Game In The Works

The Big 12 is headed to Mexico, as the league announced the launch of Big 12 Mexico.

The extension was announced Thursday and will see a number of sports being played in the country, including basketball, soccer and baseball. It was reported in May that the conference had made multiple trips to hosting sites in Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico. Now, the deal is done.

Big 12 officials announced that the first event that will be held is a basketball matchup between Kansas and Houston, held in Mexico City at Arena CDMX in December of 2024. Both women's teams will also play each other at the same venue, as part of a doubleheader.

"Mexico is a natural extension to the Big 12 footprint, and I’m thrilled to introduce Big 12 Mexico as the Conference’s first-ever international presence,” said Commissioner Brett Yormark. “Through Big 12 Mexico, our student-athletes will have the opportunity to compete in an international setting, and our Conference will have the chance to showcase our brand across Mexico.”

The conference also announced that ESPN Deportes and FOX Deportes will broadcast a select number of football and basketball games leading up to the launch of Big 12 Mexico.

Will Big 12 Football Be Played In Mexico?

The conference also announced that it is exploring the possibility of establishing a bowl game Monterrey, starting in 2026. This game, if played, would be the first in Mexico.

Looking into potential sites, Commissioner Brett Yormark has set his eyes on playing in Monterrey at Estadio BBVA. The stadium can hold up to 53,000 people, which is the perfect size for a college football game in Mexico.

Now that the conference has established a broader reach, this gives it leverage when it comes to potentially adding further members as well. Credit to Brett Yormark, as he continues to find ways to broaden the reach of his conference, no matter what country it's in.

Now, the conference waits to see what schools like Colorado and Arizona decide to do about potentially leaving their current conference.

The conference continues to make big moves.

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Trey Wallace is the host of The Trey Wallace Podcast that focuses on a mixture of sports, culture, entertainment along with his perspective on everything from College Football to the College World Series. Wallace has been covering college sports for 15 years, starting off while attending the University of South Alabama. He’s broken some of the biggest college stories including the Florida football "Credit Card Scandal" along with the firing of Jim McElwin and Kevin Sumlin. Wallace also broke one of the biggest stories in college football in 2020 around the NCAA investigation into recruiting violations against Tennessee football head coach Jeremy Pruitt. Wallace also appears on radio across seven different states breaking down that latest news in college sports.