XC New York captured the inaugural MoonPay X Games League championship Sunday, defeating XC Tokyo by 10 points after a dramatic finish to the season at X Games New Orleans inside the Caesars Superdome. The victory earned XC New York the league title, the inaugural championship trophy and the $500,000 team prize.
The championship remained undecided until the final competition of the weekend, Men's BMX Park, where Daniel Sandoval delivered the performance that secured the title despite competing with torn ligaments, a fractured kneecap and other injuries. His fourth-place finish provided enough points for XC New York to hold off XC Tokyo after mistakes by Kevin Peraza and Bryce Tryon prevented Tokyo from completing its comeback.
"We got it by 10 points and it came to the last run," Sandoval said. "I'm hurting so bad right now, but it's all worth it."
The championship concluded a season that included league stops in Sacramento, Chiba and New Orleans, introducing a team-based format that awarded points across multiple skateboarding, BMX and Moto X disciplines. XC New York finished with 2,640 points, followed by XC Tokyo with 2,630. XC Los Angeles placed third with 2,380 points, while XC São Paulo finished fourth with 2,350.
While XC New York celebrated the team championship, XC Tokyo's Mizuho Hasegawa earned the inaugural MoonPay X Games League Most Valuable Player award after compiling one of the strongest individual seasons in X Games history.
The 15-year-old finished the summer with eight medals in nine events, including two gold, five silver and one bronze, totaling a league-best 680 points. Although XC Tokyo narrowly missed the championship, Hasegawa's consistency throughout the season made her the clear MVP selection.
"I'm really happy that I was able to get the MVP, but of course I'm really bummed about XC Tokyo not winning the whole thing," Hasegawa said.
New Orleans also produced several notable individual performances.
Tom Schaar continued adding to his X Games résumé by becoming the first athlete to win four medals at a single Summer X Games. The XC Los Angeles captain also became the first competitor since Travis Pastrana in 2006 to earn three gold medals during one X Games event, bringing his career total to 24 X Games medals.
Sky Brown successfully defended her Women's Skateboard Park title, Justin Dowell claimed his second BMX Park gold medal of the season, and Momiji Nishiya delivered one of the championship's defining moments by winning Women's Street Best Trick, providing XC New York with crucial points heading into the final event.
Beyond the competition itself, the weekend marked the conclusion of the first season under the MoonPay X Games League format. The new structure transformed the traditionally individual-focused X Games into a season-long club championship, with points accumulated across multiple events before being decided in New Orleans.
"The first championship in any league becomes part of its history forever," X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom said. "This one will be remembered for the extraordinary grit of these athletes."
The inaugural season concluded with the championship still undecided entering the final event, providing the league with the competitive finish organizers envisioned when the team-based format was introduced.
The inaugural MoonPay X Games League season is complete, with XC New York becoming the first club to claim the championship. Organizers will now turn their attention toward building on the league's debut season while athletes prepare for the next X Games competitions and the 2027 XGL campaign.