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The B.C. government said it is working with the Vancouver Whitecaps to help the team lower costs and generate more revenue at B.C. Place, but it won’t be buying the Major League Soccer (MLS) team to prevent it from leaving the city.
The Whitecaps issued a statement on Monday saying stadium economics, venue access, and revenue limitations have made it difficult to attract buyers committed to keeping the team in Vancouver.
MLS commissioner Don Garber said the situation around the stadium has become “critical.”
The Athletic reported Monday that the league told other team owners that it is exploring relocation of the Whitecaps, with Las Vegas being the top candidate.
With the Vancouver Whitecaps for sale and rumours swirling about a buyer snapping up the MLS club and possibly moving it to a more profitable U.S. city, the club’s longest running supporters group — the Vancouver Southsiders — want it shouted from the rooftops that they are not OK with the team leaving. As the CBC’s Janella Hamilton reports, the Save The Caps campaign wants fans’ voices to be heard amid any deal-making.
Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s minister of jobs and economic growth, said Tuesday that the team is now using the stadium at no cost, and any breaks that the team gets this year could be extended for another year.
“Not only that, but we also heard from them that the cost for them to operate in our stadium was higher than some others,” he said.
“[We] have been going through a process with them over the last few months to review all the other stadium agreements in North America, so we can assess where we land.”
Coming off their most successful season on the pitch in franchise history, the Vancouver Whitecaps’ future in the city remains uncertain. Lease negotiations between the province and the Whitecaps have recently become very public, with the MLS commissioner calling it an “untenable situation”. Amid whispers in the air of the team possibly having to leave the city, the CBC’s Troy Charles takes a look at how we got here.
The Whitecaps and the provincial government — which owns B.C. Place through the provincial Crown corporation PavCo — signed a one-year lease earlier this year, which annually returns to the club up to as much as $1.5 million that the province makes from hosting the games.
Kahlon said the decision will put the team in a “much better place” compared with many stadiums in North America.
The minister is a longtime season ticket holder, and said the province has also helped the team generate more revenue from concession sales and advertising, adding that the government is also open to exploring other revenue sources as part of a long-term deal.
Garber confirmed reports that Las Vegas could be an option if the team relocates, saying that the league had received a bid from that city.
The commissioner expressed hope that the Whitecaps could find a way to remain in Vancouver, adding that Las Vegas could also receive an expansion franchise.
But Garber said that the situation at B.C. Place has become untenable.
“It’s reaching a critical point,” Garber said Tuesday during a meeting with Associated Press sports editors in New York.
Kahlon said the government has supported the team through tough times, and it wants to make sure it stays in Vancouver, now that it ranks among the best teams in MLS.
“If there are some genuine things that they [the owners] need done to keep the team here, we want to see that happen,” he said.
The team, which has been for sale since December 2024, has said in a statement that it faces “well-documented” challenges around stadium access and revenue.
It says these challenges have made it difficult to find a local buyer, adding that no “viable offer has emerged that would keep the club here” following “serious conversations” with more than 100 parties over the past 16 months.
Kahlon said the province would like to see the team keep playing in B.C. Place, but added that it would also support a move to another stadium on the east side of Vancouver.
In late 2025, the City of Vancouver and the team signed a memorandum of understanding to explore a new stadium and entertainment district at Hastings Park. The agreement establishes an exclusive negotiation period through the end of 2026.
Potential new stadium
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim said in a release that the province and the Whitecaps “must sign a bridge deal” that will allow B.C. Place to “become viable in the near term while a new stadium can be designed and built.”
Sim also called on the team’s current ownership “to publicly and clearly articulate what they need to stay here in Vancouver” and for the provincial government “to come to the table and make that a reality.”
The Vancouver Whitecaps are one step closer to getting their own stadium. The team and the city have agreed to negotiate terms for a new stadium and entertainment district at Hastings Park. But as Jon Hernandez reports, there’s no guarantee the project will ever get built. Municipal affairs reporter Justin McElroy follows with analysis.
Fans, meanwhile, have set up a website in the hope of swaying decision-makers to keep the team in Vancouver.
“I appreciate the fans of the Whitecaps, and I understand their frustrations,” Kahlon said.
Sim urged fans to “keep the fight” going.
“We need you to stay strong, and we need you to stay loud.”
Major League Soccer is exploring relocating the Vancouver Whitecaps, reports The Athletic. Carrie Serwetnyk, a former women’s national team player and founder of Free Kick FC children and youth soccer programs, told BC Today host Michelle Eliot that the Whitecaps have inspired a generation of fans, and impacted youth players in the community.
