The MoonPay X Games League will hold its first-ever winter draft on Wednesday, September 16, 2026. The event will take place at Cosm Los Angeles as the X Games moves into a new team-based format for winter sports.
More than 180 athletes have entered the draft pool, but only 40 will earn a place on the four winter teams. Each club will select 10 athletes, with five men and five women on every roster. The teams will then compete in the first X Games League winter season.
One name stands out above the rest before the draft begins. Eileen Gu, one of the biggest stars in freestyle skiing, is expected to become the first overall pick. X Games Chief Executive Jeremy Bloom said Gu is expected to go first in the historic draft.
Eileen Gu at the centre of attention
Gu enters the draft with a major record behind her. She is the most decorated freestyle skier in Olympic history, with three gold medals and three silver medals. She was born in San Francisco but represents China at international events.
Her possible selection as the first pick gives the new winter league an immediate star. Gu is not the only major name in the pool, however. The draft also includes athletes such as Kelly Sildaru, Mark McMorris, Alex Hall, Scotty James, Kokomo Murase and Luca Harrington.
The list also includes other well-known names from the ski and snowboard world. The draft gives each of them a chance to join one of four regional clubs and compete as part of a team rather than only as an individual athlete.
How the new draft will work
The winter draft will follow the same basic idea as the X Games League summer draft. Four clubs will select athletes from the available pool. Each club will build a roster of 10 athletes.
The full group will have five men and five women. More than 180 elite athletes from around the world have opted into the process, which means the competition for the 40 available places is strong.
The draft will take place at Cosm Los Angeles from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific Time. Fans can watch the event through ESPN+, the ESPN App, the Roku Sports Channel and the X Games YouTube channel.
The draft is more than a way to select athletes. It is also part of the X Games plan to turn its traditional event format into a wider league system.
The summer league set the stage
The winter draft comes after the first X Games League summer season. That competition had teams from Los Angeles, New York, São Paulo and Tokyo.
The summer season ended in New Orleans, where New York won the championship. The team also secured a $500,000 prize for its athletes. The final result came down to the last event, which gave the new team format a dramatic finish.
The summer series also produced strong audience figures. According to Bloom, it drew 18.3 million U.S. television viewers. That figure was 78% higher than the previous year on linear television. The series also produced more than 200 million video views across the world.
Those figures have helped the X Games push ahead with its winter plans.
Strong numbers for the X Games
The wider X Games brand also had a strong year in 2026. The Aspen X Games attracted 15.3 million U.S. television viewers, a 43% rise from the previous year.
The event sold out in three weeks and brought close to 50,000 spectators to Aspen over the weekend. Music performances also formed part of the event, with artists such as Gunna, Disco Lines and Kaskade on the programme.
These numbers matter because the X Games is trying to build a larger audience beyond its traditional events. The new league gives fans more reasons to follow athletes and teams across a season.
A different model from the Olympics
The new X Games League will use a team system, which sets it apart from the Olympics.
At the Olympics, athletes compete for their countries. In the X Games League, athletes will join regional clubs. This means athletes who normally represent different nations can become teammates.
Bloom said the X Games sees this model as a way to work alongside the Olympic system rather than compete with it. The Olympics can give athletes a huge global audience during the Games, while the X Games can keep their profiles active between Olympic events.
This difference could also give fans a new way to follow action sports. Instead of watching only individual athletes, supporters can build a connection with a club and follow its results throughout the season.
A long list of winter stars
Gu is expected to attract much of the attention, but the draft has plenty of other major names.
Mark McMorris is among the most successful snowboarders in X Games history. Alex Hall has 14 X Games medals and gold medals in four disciplines. Scotty James has won five straight X Games SuperPipe gold medals.
Kokomo Murase is another major name in the draft. At the 2026 Aspen X Games, she won gold in Big Air, silver in Knuckle Huck and bronze in Slopestyle. New Zealand’s Luca Harrington is also part of the group after a strong start to his X Games career.
Other notable athletes include Zeb Powell, Red Gerard, Ayumu Hirano and Zoi Sadowski-Synnott. The depth of the draft shows how much talent is available for the first winter season.
What the winter season will look like
The first winter league season will combine skiing and snowboarding. Events are set to take place in Aspen, Calgary and Ruka, Finland.
The competition will also include music and festival elements. That mix has long been part of the X Games identity, and the league plans to keep that connection as it expands.
The winter programme will feature ski and snowboard events such as SuperPipe, Big Air, Slopestyle and Knuckle Huck. Athletes will compete for their clubs while also seeking individual success.
Why this draft matters
The September 16 draft marks a major change for the X Games. For three decades, the brand has been known mainly for major action sports events. Now it wants to create a league that can run across a wider part of the year.
The change also reflects the growth of action sports. Sports such as skateboarding and BMX have moved from a less traditional place in the sports world to major Olympic events. Skateboarding and BMX are set to appear at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics for their third Olympic cycle.
The X Games hopes its league can keep these athletes visible between Olympic years and give fans more chances to follow them.
A historic first draft
The first winter draft will decide which 40 athletes form the four new winter clubs. More than 180 athletes have entered the pool, so many strong names will miss out.
Gu is expected to lead the list as the first overall choice, but the full draft will reveal how the clubs build their teams.
For the X Games, September 16 is more than a single event. It is the start of a new winter chapter. The success of the summer league has created a base, and the winter draft will now test whether the same team concept can work on snow.
With Olympic champions, X Games medalists and young stars all in the pool, the first winter draft has plenty of attention around it. The selections will shape the first four winter clubs and set the stage for the next phase of the MoonPay X Games League.
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