LOS ANGELES — In a historic milestone that promises to permanently alter the landscape of action sports, the inaugural MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Winter Draft convened at Cosm Los Angeles on September 16, 2026. The high-profile event brought together more than 500 industry leaders, corporate partners, devoted fans, and many of the planet’s most decorated winter athletes to establish the foundational rosters for the upcoming 2027 XGL Winter Season.
The draft marked the official operational rollout of a groundbreaking franchise model, signaling a definitive evolution from the historic, standalone invitational format that defined the X Games brand for nearly three decades. Over the course of five calculated rounds, four distinct regional franchises—XC Golden State, XC New York, XC Park City, and XC Whistler—selected a combined total of 40 elite ski and snowboard competitors. Spanning 14 countries, the drafted athletes represent a vibrant cross-section of global talent, bridging generational divides with competitors as young as 14-year-old Patti Zhou and seasoned veterans aged 32, including legendary Canadian snowboarder Mark McMorris and Australian halfpipe powerhouse Scotty James.
The proceedings reached an immediate crescendo when four-time X Games medalist and international superstar Eileen Gu was selected with the first overall pick. Claimed by her hometown club, XC Golden State, Gu’s selection set the tone for an evening defined by high stakes, geographic rivalries, and the integration of world-class talent into a unified team framework.
A Chronological Shift: From Standalone Showcases to Season-Long Rivalries
The establishment of the XGL Winter Season represents the logical progression of MSP Sports Capital’s strategic vision following the successful launch of the MoonPay X Games League Summer Season earlier in 2026. For nearly thirty years, the Winter X Games functioned primarily as an isolated pinnacle event—a series of intense weekend showcases where athletes chased individual podiums, gold medals, and momentary glory. While these historic gatherings produced some of the most indelible images in action sports history, they lacked a continuous narrative thread that could sustain fan engagement across a calendar year.
The XGL format addresses this structural limitation by superimposing a team-based, co-ed league structure onto the individual disciplines of freeskiing and snowboarding. Each of the four winter franchises features a meticulously balanced roster of ten athletes—split evenly with five men and five women—designed to foster collective accountability and deeper fan loyalty.
Rather than competing purely for personal accolades, every trick landed, podium secured, and heat won throughout the upcoming winter circuit will accumulate points toward the season-long league standings. This accumulation culminates in a high-stakes postseason race for the MoonPay X Games League Winter Championship, introducing enduring consequences and season-long storylines to a sport traditionally governed by single-weekend outcomes.
The Inaugural Draft: Strategic Selections and Global Representation
The draft room inside Cosm Los Angeles crackled with competitive energy as general managers executed strategies designed to balance veteran leadership with explosive youth potential. The evening’s selections commenced when XC Golden State General Manager Jonny Moseley stepped to the podium to secure Eileen Gu with the number one overall selection.
"I just wanted to say how excited and honored and grateful I am to be the first overall pick of the X Games League," Gu remarked via video address following her selection. "Thank you so much to XC Golden State. I’m really excited to make something super magical happen this season. So see you all at the first X Games League event in Aspen. I think this league is going to be so big for our industry, for our sport, and my dream of bringing freeskiing to more people will be realized one step at a time with you guys."
Following Golden State’s blockbuster opening move, XC New York General Manager Dave Sypniewski captured snowboard icon Mark McMorris with the second pick, injecting immediate veteran savvy and global market appeal into the eastern-aligned franchise. XC Park City General Manager Sharalee “Haze” Hazen—who also oversees the organization’s XC Los Angeles summer club—utilized the third overall selection to secure Chinese snowboard superstar Yiming Su. Rounding out the opening rotation, XC Whistler General Manager Ryan Stutt selected elite skier Megan Oldham, making her the first draft pick in the history of the Canadian-anchored franchise.
The subsequent rounds saw general managers fill out their remaining nine slots, drafting international heavyweights such as Mia Brookes, Cocomo Murase, and Red Gerard. The resulting rosters successfully capture a truly global footprint, drawing elite competitors from North America, Europe, Asia, and the Southern Hemisphere.
The 2027 XGL Winter Calendar and Host Venues
With rosters now locked, attention pivots immediately to the rigorous three-stop calendar that will comprise the inaugural XGL Winter Season. The competition schedule is engineered to test athletes across varied terrain while honoring the rich heritage of winter action sports:
- Stop 1: Aspen, Colorado (January 29–31, 2027)
The season kicks off at Buttermilk Mountain, the spiritual and operational home of Winter X Games competition for generations. This traditional stronghold will serve as the crucible where the newly formed franchises make their competitive debuts, establishing the initial baseline for the league standings. - Stop 2: Calgary, Alberta, Canada (February 19–21, 2027)
The tour then travels north across the border to Calgary, offering a high-altitude challenge that has historically favored technical progression and heavy air. Canadian fans will have a localized rooting interest through XC Whistler and the broader geographic appeal of the circuit. - Stop 3: Ruka, Finland (April 9–11, 2027)
The championship finale shifts to Europe, taking place in Ruka, Finland. This concluding leg will determine which franchise hoists the inaugural MoonPay X Games League Winter Championship trophy, utilizing European spring snow conditions to test endurance and adaptability.
Technological Innovation and Immersive Fan Engagement
The event itself served as a showcase for modern sports entertainment, hosted inside Cosm Los Angeles—a venue renowned for its immersive audio-visual capabilities. Utilizing a massive wraparound LED dome and cinematic-grade production infrastructure, the draft transformed a traditional logistical meeting into a dynamic spectator sport.
This high-tech presentation mirrored the league’s multi-platform broadcast strategy, ensuring that fans worldwide maintained a front-row seat to the roster building. In the United States, the draft was broadcast live via the ESPN App, while international audiences accessed coverage through The Roku Sports Channel, YouTube, Kick, and the dedicated X Games TV FAST Channel on Amazon. This expansive distribution footprint underscores the league’s primary objective: modernizing action sports media consumption to meet the habits of digital-first audiences.
Institutional Leadership and Financial Backing
The realization of the MoonPay X Games League is underpinned by significant institutional investment and strategic brand alignment. X Games operates as a premier portfolio company of MSP Sports Capital, a prominent global private equity firm founded by veteran sports investors-operators Jeff Moorad and Jahm Najafi. Drawing on leadership experience spanning major professional properties including Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Football League, Formula 1, and European soccer clubs, MSP Sports Capital’s involvement has provided the financial runway and operational expertise necessary to execute a structural pivot of this magnitude.
Furthermore, the league has secured robust commercial backing. The draft was presented by title partner MoonPay, supported by league founding partner Monster Energy, alongside a deep roster of corporate sponsors including Stake, High Noon, Amazon, 805 Beer, VKTRY Protein, Kraken Rum, No Cap!, Minky Couture, Nixon, Kick, Fever, and Roku.
Industry Implications and Economic Impact
Sports industry analysts have noted that the transition to a franchise-based league model carries profound implications for the action sports ecosystem. Historically, professional action sports athletes relied heavily on a volatile mix of contest winnings, volatile brand sponsorships, and media exposure that fluctuated wildly depending on single-event performance.
By introducing a team-based model, XGL aims to establish baseline financial stability and expanded compensation opportunities for athletes through collective league structures, guaranteed team contracts, and shared revenue pools. This structural shift parallels the evolution witnessed in traditional stick-and-ball sports and modern action verticals like skateboarding’s Street League or competitive surfing, where franchise stability helps insulate elite athletes from the physical unpredictability of extreme sports.
Jeremy Bloom, Chief Executive Officer of X Games, emphasized the weight of this transformation during his address at Cosm Los Angeles.
"For nearly 30 years, Winter X Games has created iconic individual moments," said Bloom. "Tonight, we added something entirely new: consequences across a season. Four teams just drafted the best ski and snowboard athletes in the world, and now every result in Aspen, Canada, and Finland will matter toward one championship. We’re taking a brand people have loved for decades and giving fans something they’ve never had before: teams to follow, a season to track, and a championship to fight for. Tonight was the moment the MoonPay X Games League Winter Season became real."
As the winter season approaches, league executives are expected to release further details regarding specific discipline formats, judging criteria, broadcast schedules, and localized fan activation zones for each of the three tour stops. For ongoing updates, comprehensive roster breakdowns, and ticketing information, enthusiasts can visit the official league portal at xgames.com/xgl.
