Report: Major League Soccer potentially moving Vancouver Whitecaps
Major League Soccer is reportedly considering all options, including potential relocation, when it comes to the Vancouver Whitecaps, according to a report from The Athletic’s Tom Bogert and Paul Tenorio.
Here’s what you need to know.
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Vancouver Whitecaps
An MLS committee met earlier this month to discuss the future of the Whitecaps, with Las Vegas emerging as the top option for relocation. The league has already met with a group looking to bring a team to Nevada.
Major League Soccer declined to comment for The Athletic’s story.
The latest update comes as the Whitecaps have been for sale for over a year and with the team’s lease at BC Place set to expire at the end of 2026.
“Since December 2024, ownership has prioritized finding a buyer committed to keeping the team in Vancouver, and to date, no solution has been found,” the Whitecaps said in a statement to The Athletic.
Only a few months ago, in December 2025, the city of Vancouver and the Whitecaps signed a memorandum of understanding which entailed entering an exclusive negotiation window until Dec. 31, 2026, with the goal of building a new stadium at Hastings Park. There has been no further update from either side since the announcement on Dec. 11.
“This MOU demonstrates a firm commitment by both the City and the Whitecaps to advance work towards a new stadium here in Vancouver,” Vancouver mayor Ken Sim said in December. “The partnership we are building today has the potential to create jobs, boost our local economy, and transform Hastings Park into an even more vibrant destination for sports, concerts, and community events.”
The Vancouver mayor also made a splash in the sports world last week when city council approved a motion Sim brought forward to open an “expression of interest” process to bring a Major League Baseball team to Vancouver by finding a qualified potential ownership group.
Major League Soccer
If the Whitecaps were to be moved, it would be the first MLS relocation since 2006 when the San Jose Earthquakes moved to Houston and became the Dynamo. San Jose was then awarded an expansion franchise and the Earthquakes returned in 2008.
Coincidentally, San Jose and Vancouver currently sit atop the league table in first and second place, respectively.
The Earthquakes missed the playoffs last year, while the Whitecaps came up just short in their first-ever appearance in the MLS Cup.
Vancouver has the third-shortest odds to win the MLS Cup this year at +600, while San Jose has the fifth-shortest odds at +1400.