The X Games League announced the date for draft that will decide which athletes will be competing this winter under the four clubs earlier this week! 180 snowboarders and skiers opted in for a chance to become part of the inaugural 40 riders to kick off the snow portion of the new league backed by Scotty James, Mark McMorris, Chloe Kim and more. The draft will be held in L.A. at the Cosm on September 16, 2026 from 7-9 pm PST. Zeb Powell commented on the post stating, “This winter is going to be different!” Whether that is a good or bad “different” will be put to the test as the event gets running! But it looks like there will be more than one stop for X Games in Aspen, so we back it if it means we get to watch more riding! The final clubs for the winter season are yet to be announced, but we know there will be at least one based out of New York. Full press release below.

LOS ANGELES (June 9, 2026) – The inaugural MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Winter Draft will take place on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at Cosm Los Angeles from 7-9 p.m. PT. The world’s best men and women skiers and snowboarders will be drafted by four regionally-based X Games Clubs to compete across the three-stop XGL Winter Season, which will be announced shortly. The event will stream on ESPN+/ ESPN App, Roku Sports Channel, and the X Games channel on YouTube.The Winter Draft will follow the same format as the XGL Summer Draft, which took place at Cosm Los Angeles earlier this year ahead of the inaugural XGL Summer Season, starting in June 2026.

More than 180 elite athletes from around the world have opted in and are eligible to be part of the 40 total athletes drafted by the four Clubs. Each Club’s general manager will select 10 athletes (five men and five women) to complete their rosters ahead of the 2027 XGL Winter Season.

Key athletes to watch include freeski triple-threats Eileen Gu and Kelly Sildaru, Japanese snowboard phenom Cocomo Murase who earned Big Air gold, Knuckle Huck silver and Slopestyle bronze at Aspen 2026; Alex Hall, a 14-time X Games medalist who owns gold in four X Games disciplines; Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris, who with 26 is the most-decorated athlete in Winter X Games history; young gun Luca Harrington of New Zealand who earned back-to-back Slopestyle gold and Big Air silver in his first two X Games appearances; five-time reigning X Games SuperPipe gold medalist Scotty James; and X Games Knuckle Huck gold medalist and Jordan Brand’s first snowboarder Zeb Powell.

“The Moon Pay X Games League Winter Draft marks the start of a new era for winter action sports and we are all excited to see who is Drafted to which Club,” said Annie Lokesh, SVP, X Games League. “A team-based model across a set season gives the world’s best skiers and snowboarders a bigger, more consistent stage. Having your name called at Cosm Los Angeles will be a historic moment for every athlete who is able to be in that room and tuning in from around the world.”

A red carpet arrival for the invited athletes will get the evening started before the draft begins. Additionally, X Games social and digital platforms will highlight draft-eligible athletes through content and highlights from major global competitions in the weeks leading up to the draft. Sponsors of the XGL Winter Season include MoonPay, Monster Energy, Stake, Amazon, High Noon and Kraken Rum.

Fans will have the opportunity to attend in person and experience the draft in Cosm’s state-of-the-art immersive venue, which will showcase live action and behind-the-scenes X Games access in a compelling way. A limited number of “Superfan” tickets will be available for purchase. Fans can sign up for alerts at xgames.com/xgl to be the first to know when tickets are available.  

X Games League Draft Format Overview: 

• The athlete ‘opt in’ window was in April and May 2026, open to all athletes. 
• The Club General Manager will be hired by the Club ownership group and choose the 10 athlete roster, live. 
• The draft will consist of five rounds and eight athletes will be drafted per round in a “snake” order. 
• Each Club makes two selections per round: one man and one woman athlete.
• At the end of five rounds, the Club’s 10 roster spots will be filled by five women and five men, bringing the total to 40 drafted athletes. 
• Both sports (Ski and Snowboard) must be represented on each Club. 
• Athletes who attend the Draft in person will be called up live on stage. 
• Athletes who declared for the Draft but who are not selected on draft night will be eligible to compete as free agents at Winter X Games stops or be called up as injury replacements. 

The XGL Winter Season schedule and inaugural Clubs will be announced at later dates. X Games Club New York (XC NY) was announced earlier this year as one of the four inaugural Winter Clubs.

For more details about XGL, visit xgames.com/xgl.