Photo: Monster Energy
X Games and Monster Energy announced an expanded partnership Tuesday, naming Monster Energy a “founding partner” of the new X Games League. The news comes as the one-off event known as X Games will be replaced after Aspen 2026 by the new multi-stop, team-based format known as X Games League (XGL).
X Games announced the massive rebranding effort in September, with the first XGL Summer series coming in 2026 and XGL Winter set for 2027. Athletes will be divided into competing “clubs” featuring BMX and skateboarding athletes in summer and ski and snowboard clubs during the winter events. There will be multiple clubs across the globe designed to be managed and even privately owned much like an NBA team or European football club. While athletes will compete individually, the points they earn will contribute to their club’s overall total, adding up to crown individual discipline champions as well as an overall XGL team championship.
Monster Energy and X Games League already had an existing partnership, but Tuesday’s announcement expands the energy drink company’s role, which the brand says “will fuel prize purses, double down on athlete storytelling, and offer on-site global event activations.”
“Monster Energy has supported me and so many skaters for years, not just at X Games but throughout our careers,” said American Olympic skateboarder Nyjah Huston, who is a longtime Monster Energy athlete and XGL athlete and founder. Huston has collected 11 golds, four silvers, and two bronzes in Skateboard Street, and 15 gold medals overall at the X Games, and in 2024, he won bronze at the Paris Olympics. “They’ve always been about putting athletes first, and the X Games League is going to take that even further. It’s sick to see a format that gives us more opportunities to compete, tell our stories, and connect with fans all season long.”
“For more than a decade, Monster Energy has backed the athletes who define X Games and push progression in action sports,” said Dan McHugh, Global CMO of Monster Energy. “This new partnership builds on that legacy, giving athletes bigger stages, stronger support, and the recognition they deserve. The X Games League is the future of action sports, and athletes are the ones leading it.”
