Sacramento is officially getting the first crack at the X Games League’s new team era, hosting the tour’s opening summer stop from June 26 to 28, 2026. From there, the XGL caravan heads to Japan the following weekend before wrapping the inaugural season with a still-to-be-named championship host city. The format leans into a team concept, with the new league drafting athletes into four XClubs and filling ten-person rosters ahead of the summer swing. Organizers are selling the weekends as part competition, part festival, with music, sponsor activations and a multi-day X Fest planned alongside BMX and skate contests.
Draft, Team Format and Where to Watch
The XGL Summer Draft is slated for March 5, 2026, at Cosm Los Angeles, where general managers of four clubs will build their squads from an opt-in athlete pool. According to X Games, the draft will run five rounds and create co-ed lineups of ten riders, five men and five women, with each roster required to include both skateboard and BMX athletes. The draft night will stream live on ESPN+ and YouTube, setting the stage for the league’s three-leg summer calendar.
Sacramento Stop and Local Partners
The Sacramento leg, scheduled for June 26 to 28, is being organized with Visit Sacramento, according to Sports Business Journal. That reporting notes that the two announced stops, Sacramento and Japan, will lead into a season-ending championship whose host city has not yet been revealed.
Local coverage indicates Cal Expo remains the designated venue and that the weekend will feature an “X Fest” that blends competition and music, although organizers say they may tap other parts of the city for fan programming. As reported by KCRA, Visit Sacramento president Mike Testa said “Sacramento is proud to bring such a world-class event,” and X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom called the launch of XGL “an exciting new chapter” for athletes and fans.
Japan Stop and the Championship
The tour shifts to Japan on July 4 and 5 before the season-ending championship, Sports Business Journal reports. Sacramento and the Japan event, along with the yet-to-be-named championship city, make up the announced core of the XGL’s 2026 summer slate while organizers finalize a host for the finale.
Founding Sponsor and What It Means
X Games has signed Monster Energy as a founding partner in a multi-year deal that the league says will help increase prize purses and on-site activations for athletes. The agreement highlights the financial backing behind XGL as organizers try to build season-long storylines and stronger earning opportunities for competitors, according to X Games.
Next Steps
For now, the key date on the calendar is the March 5 draft in Los Angeles. Fans can sign up for alerts and ticket information on the XGL hub while Sacramento officials and local businesses gear up for a new style of summer event. Industry watchers say the combination of festival programming and a team-based league structure could speed up mainstream sponsorship and viewing interest in action sports, a trend noted in coverage by Forbes.
