Fifty of the world’s best action sports athletes will gather in Los Angeles this Thursday night for a historic moment as X Games hosts the first professional team draft in action sports history. The 2026 MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Draft will stream live from Cosm Los Angeles in Hollywood Park from 6:30–8:30 p.m. PT as teams are formed live and 40 of the world’s top athletes are selected to compete in the inaugural MoonPay X Games League season.
The MoonPay X Games League Draft will stream on the ESPN App in the U.S. and globally on The Roku Sports Channel, X Games on YouTube, Kick.com, and the X Games TV FAST Channel on Amazon, giving fans everywhere a front-row seat as the next era of action sports takes shape in real time.
The MoonPay X Games League introduces a new chapter for the iconic brand with a year-round, global, team-based format that expands beyond traditional standalone X Games events. The league launches its inaugural summer 2026 season in June, with winter disciplines set to debut in 2027. Each X Games Club (XC) will feature 10 athletes — five men and five women — selected through the draft.
The first four clubs represent global cities that will anchor the league’s inaugural season: XC Los Angeles, XC New York, XC São Paulo and XC Tokyo. These teams will compete across three summer events, bringing rivalries, fan engagement, and team identity to action sports for the first time.
During Thursday’s draft, the four club general managers — Sharalee “Haze” Hazen (XC Los Angeles), Steve Rodriguez (XC New York), Bob Burnquist (XC São Paulo), and Harumi Suzuki (XC Tokyo) — will select 40 athletes from a pool of 180 who opted in across five rounds of eight selections. The draft order, determined earlier this month through a randomized lottery with the general managers present, is set as: XC New York, XC Los Angeles, XC Tokyo, and XC São Paulo.
Athletes expected to participate include one of skateboarding’s great all-around talents Tom Schaar, two-time X Games BMX Park gold medalist Hannah Roberts, teenage skateboarding phenom Arisa Trew, one of the most versatile and decorated BMX riders Kevin Peraza, 15-time X Games gold medalist Nyjah Huston, and many more of the most influential names in action sports.
The draft is presented by league title partner MoonPay, with additional support from league founding partner Monster Energy, and league partners Stake, Exodus, 805, High Noon, and Kraken Rum.
The inaugural MoonPay X Games League Summer Season begins June 26 in Sacramento, followed by X Games Japan on July 4–5, before culminating with the league championship July 24–26 inside the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. The team with the highest cumulative score across the season will be crowned the first MoonPay X Games League champion and awarded the league title and team purse.
To learn more, visit xgames.com/xgl or follow X Games on Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
