Eileen Gu Goes No. 1 Overall with Mark McMorris No. 2 as Four Clubs Finalize Rosters at the MoonPay X Games League Winter Season Draft
Athletes, Industry Leaders, Partners and Fans Gathered at Cosm Los Angeles as 40 Ski and Snowboard Athletes Were Drafted by XC Golden State, XC New York, XC Park City and XC Whistler\
LOS ANGELES (September 16, 2026) — The inaugural MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Winter Draft brought together the world’s best ski and snowboard athletes, including heavy hitting global stars Mark McMorris, Mia Brookes, Scotty James, Cocomo Murase, Red Gerard, and Megan Oldham, along with more than 500 guests at Cosm Los Angeles.
Ski superstar and four-time X Games medalist Eileen Gu was the first overall pick by her hometown club, XC Golden State. A total of 40 athletes, representing 14 countries and ranging in age from 14-year-old Patti Zhou to 32-year-olds McMorris and James were drafted across five rounds, officially setting the stage for the 2027 XGL Winter Season and a new era of X Games competition.
The first season of the XGL Winter Season will kick off January 29-31 at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colorado, the longtime home of X Games winter competition, before traveling north to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, February 19-21, and concluding with the championship event in Ruka, Finland, April 9-11. Across the three stops, the athletes will compete for four X Games Clubs — XC Golden State, XC New York, XC Park City and XC Whistler — earning points toward the season standings and the MoonPay X Games League Winter Championship.
“I just wanted to say how excited and honored and grateful I am to be the first overall pick of the X Games League,” said Gu. “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. So I’m really excited and let’s do this thing!”
The evening opened with XC Golden State General Manager Jonny Moseley selecting Gu. XC New York followed with General Manager Dave Sypniewski picking snowboard icon McMorris at number two, before XC Park City General Manager Sharalee “Haze” Hazen, who also leads the XC Los Angeles Summer club, chose snowboarder Yiming Su third overall. Rounding out the round, General Manager Ryan Stutt made skier Oldham the first-ever draft pick in XC Whistler history.
The XGL Winter Season follows the thrilling debut of the MoonPay X Games League Summer Season, which introduced a new competitive structure to action sports as it evolved X Games beyond standalone events into a year-round, global, team-based competition. Rather than competing solely for individual medals, athletes also earn points for their clubs throughout the season, creating an ongoing championship race while preserving the individual progression and creativity at the heart of X Games. Each X Games Club features 10 athletes — five men and five women — selected through the Draft to compete together in order to achieve their ultimate goal of an XGL championship.
“For nearly 30 years, Winter X Games has created iconic individual moments,” said Jeremy Bloom, CEO of X Games. ”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.”
Held inside the state-of-the-art Cosm Los Angeles, the XGL Draft brought sports, entertainment and culture together in an immersive setting that put fans at the center of the action. The venue’s massive wraparound LED dome and cinematic production provided a dramatic backdrop as the league’s four clubs built their rosters live in front of the energized crowd.
Fans around the world had a front-row seat as the teams were built, watching live on the ESPN App in the United States and globally on The Roku Sports Channel, YouTube, Kick, and the X Games TV FAST Channel on Amazon.
The Draft was presented by league title partner MoonPay, with additional support from league founding partner Monster Energy and league partners Stake, High Noon, Amazon, 805 Beer, VKTRY Protein, Kraken Rum, No Cap!, Minky Couture, Nixon, Kick, Fever and Roku.
Additional details, including competition dates, disciplines, broadcast and streaming information, and fan experiences for each XGL Winter stop, will be announced in the coming months. For more information, visit xgames.com.
About X Games
X Games is the leading action sports brand globally, showcasing the world’s best athletes across skateboarding, BMX, skiing, snowboarding, and Moto X. Through world-class competitions, innovative media, and immersive fan experiences, X Games reaches millions of fans annually across broadcast, streaming, digital, and live events worldwide.
For more information, visit xgames.com or follow X Games on TikTok, X, Instagram, or Facebook.
About MoonPay X Games League (XGL)
Launched in 2026, the MoonPay X Games League (XGL) brings an exciting new extension to the iconic X Games brand as the world’s first year-round, team-based, co-ed league in action sports. The league features eight Clubs (four summer X Games Clubs and four winter X Games Clubs) that fuse geographic identity with global athletic talent as they compete.
For the first time in X Games history, athletes compete in a structured season and team-based format, allowing for season-long storylines and deeper athlete-fan engagement across broadcast, streaming, live events, and digital platforms. This represents a fundamental shift in the world of action sports as XGL aims to build stronger global presence and regional connections for athletes, teams, fans, and sponsors. The formation of XGL greatly expands compensation opportunities for athletes beyond existing prize purses, with additional earning potential as part of the league’s team model.
The MoonPay X Games League will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, ESPN+ and Disney+, Roku Sports Channel, X Games on YouTube and Kick.
To learn more, visit xgames.com/xgl or follow X Games on Instagram, X, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn.
About MSP Sports Capital
X Games is a portfolio company of MSP Sports Capital, a global private equity firm that invests in teams, leagues, and other businesses in the sports ecosystem. The firm pursues influential positions in mature sports companies and focuses on creating value and driving differentiated returns. MSP Sports Capital was founded by veteran investor-operators, Jeff Moorad and Jahm Najafi, whose expertise span the world’s largest sports leagues, including MLB, NBA, NFL, F1, and European football.
For more information, please visit mspsportscapital.com.
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