A Major League Soccer committee met earlier this month to discuss the future of the Vancouver Whitecaps and potential relocation, The Athletic’s Tom Bogert and Paul Tenorio report.
Bogert and Tenorio note that Las Vegas has emerged as the top option for relocation with the league having met with a group looking to bring a team to the city.
Major League Soccer declined comment for the story.
The Whitecaps have been for sale for over a year and the club’s lease at BC Place expires 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.
In December of 2025, the city of Vancouver and the Whitecaps signed a memorandum of understanding to enter an exclusive negotiation until Dec. 31, 2026 regarding a new stadium at Hastings Park. Since the announcement on Dec. 11, there has yet to be any further comment from either side.
“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 at the time. “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.”
Sim made news last week when city council approved opening an “expression of interest” process to bring a Major League Baseball team to the city through finding an interested potential ownership group.
“It’s my intention at least that there will be absolutely no public money involved,” Sim said, noting that it was too soon to talk about public land to be used for a stadium.
Major League Soccer has not seen a franchise relocate since 2006 when the San Jose Earthquakes moved to Houston to become the Dynamo. San Jose was then awarded an expansion team and the Earthquakes returned in 2008.
