LAS VEGAS -- Major League Soccer owners are weighing the future of the Vancouver Whitecaps, including the possibility of relocating the club, with Las Vegas emerging as a leading destination, according to a report by The Athletic.
A special committee of MLS owners met earlier this month to evaluate the Whitecaps’ long-term outlook, sources told The Athletic. Among the options discussed, a move to Las Vegas was identified as the primary scenario, though no formal decision has been made.
The discussions come as MLS continues to explore expansion and relocation opportunities, with Las Vegas, Phoenix, Indianapolis and Sacramento all viewed as viable markets. Las Vegas and Phoenix are considered the strongest candidates should relocation become necessary, according to the report.
The Whitecaps’ uncertain future is tied in part to stadium issues and ownership. The club’s lease at BC Place is set to expire at the end of this year, and the team remains up for sale. Efforts to secure a local ownership group committed to keeping the club in Vancouver have yet to produce a resolution.
“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 club said in a statement.
While Las Vegas has been floated as a destination, the group behind a proposed $10 billion “Starr Vegas” development on the Strip — which includes plans for a 50,000-seat soccer stadium — is not the same group currently in talks with MLS, according to sources.
Any relocation would require approval from MLS owners and would likely involve a significant financial package. Recent expansion fees have set a high bar, with San Diego FC paying $500 million to join the league. Sources expect any relocation deal to exceed that figure once a relocation fee is added to the sale price.
Relocation has been rare in MLS history. The last instance occurred in 2006, when the San Jose Earthquakes moved to Houston and became the Dynamo before San Jose was later awarded a new expansion team. More recently, a proposed move of the Columbus Crew to Austin was halted by a fan-led “Save The Crew” movement that ultimately kept the team in Ohio under new ownership.
A similar grassroots campaign is now gaining traction in Vancouver. Supporters have begun displaying “Save The Caps” banners at matches as uncertainty grows around the club’s future.
Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster acknowledged the ongoing efforts to find a local solution but did not rule out other possibilities.
“We believe in finding solutions,” Schuster told The Guardian. “We’ll go through the alphabet: solutions A, B, C … all the way through. But one day … we might be done with the alphabet. And then maybe we’ll have to look at other options.”
The club signed a memorandum of understanding with the city of Vancouver in December 2024 to explore a new stadium and entertainment district at Hastings Park, though no significant updates have followed.
Founded in 1974, the Whitecaps are one of the more historically rooted soccer clubs in North America, having competed across multiple leagues before joining MLS in 2011.
Despite the uncertainty off the field, Vancouver is thriving on it. The club has won four consecutive Canadian Championships and remains among the top teams in MLS this season, sitting just three points off the Supporters’ Shield lead with a game in hand through nine matches.
For now, the Whitecaps’ success on the pitch stands in contrast to lingering questions about where the club will call home in the future.