X Games are back on in Sacramento after 2025 cancellation. Here are the details
The X Games are back on in Sacramento.
The popular extreme sports event featuring skateboarding, BMX bike riding and motocross announced Friday morning that a new version of X Games will be coming to Cal Expo in 2026 from June 26-28. It comes after the event initially planned for August of this year was postponed.
The three-day event, which will include a full musical lineup and “X Fest” festival village, will be part of X Games League which take on a team format with multiple events leading to an eventual points-based championship. Sacramento will be the first of three stops, with the second round coming July 4-5 in Japan before the championship rounds, the dates and venues for which have not yet been announced.
“The launch of the X Games League marks an exciting new chapter for the athletes and the fans,” said X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom in a statement. “Sacramento and Japan are two places that elevate action sports with their energy, passion, and support. Starting the league in locations that consistently show up for the athletes creates the perfect foundation for what XGL is built to deliver — world-class competition, progression, and unforgettable experiences.”
Sacramento, Cal Expo and X Games officials in December 2024 announced a three-year partnership to host the event at the site of the California State Fair. But the 2025 event, initially planned for August, was postponed in April. The summer’s other two X Games events proceeded as planned in Salt Lake City and Osaka, Japan, both in June.
Organizers reconvened with the finalized version of X Games League announced Friday including a Sacramento kickoff.
“Sacramento is proud to bring such a world-class event to both residents and tourists,” said Visit Sacramento CEO Mike Testa. “Hosting the first league event for X Games is not only an honor, but a testament to Sacramento’s investment in providing our community unforgettable experiences.”
Have not been in Northern California since 2000
Bloom, in announcing the 2025 postponement earlier this year, called it a “strategic pause” that would allow X Games organizers to focus on the XGL launch.
Teams will be assembled via the “XGL Summer Draft” where four teams will be made of more 150 skateboarders and BMX athletes. The draft will be held at the Cosm in Los Angeles on March 5 and will stream live on ESPN platforms and YouTube from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Pacific.
The deal is for one year with an option for three to host the event in Sacramento, according to a source with knowledge of the agreement.
The X Games, which started in 1995, have been hosted in various U.S. and international cities, with the summer games held in Southern California from 2021 through 2024 and in Aspen, Colorado, since 2002. The games haven’t been played in Northern California since 2000, in San Francisco.
ESPN’s networks will broadcast more than 100 hours of X Games over the next two years, according to the announcement.
This story was originally published December 12, 2025 at 9:00 AM.
