Fans of the Vancouver Whitecaps MLS soccer team rally to keep the team in Vancouver, outside the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver on Thursday, April 30, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
April 30, 2026 - 1:39 PM
VANCOUVER — The Whitecaps team is high in the standings in Major League Soccer, its salary cap is low and the games are well attended, but none of that appears to be enough to keep the team in Vancouver.
As an ownership group files a formal bid to MLS to buy and relocate the club to Las Vegas, the province says it's serious about keeping the Whitecaps in Vancouver.
B.C. Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon says he understands the owners want to "cash in" after the team surged in value, but the MLS owes it to the fans to work something out.
Kahlon says the province, which owns BC Place where the team plays, has made financial concessions tied to the stadium that reduced operating costs and boosted revenue for the Whitecaps.
But Kamran Eshghi, an associate professor in the school of sports administration at Laurentian University, says the owners likely feel they can get a better deal in another city that lets them keep stadium profits from things like food and drink sales.
Whitecaps fans who protested outside FIFA meetings in Vancouver say Major League Soccer isn't being transparent about its plans for the team, and that losing the Whitecaps would be an irreplaceable loss.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2026.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2026