Local Group Pushes to Block Vancouver Whitecaps Move to Las Vegas
Posted on: May 14, 2026, 03:55h.
Last updated on: May 14, 2026, 04:03h.
- Government and First Nations come together to issue joint statement
- Billionaire looking to buy the MLS team and move it to Las Vegas
- Stadium plans in works for Hastings Park location
The City of Vancouver, First Nations, the British Columbia government and the crown corporation that owns BC Place issued a statement today reiterating their commitment to keep the Major League Soccer Whitecaps in Vancouver and block a potential move to Las Vegas.
Save the Caps
The group said in a statement that they are working with “private partners” to keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver “for generations to come”.
CBC reported yesterday that representatives from the federal, provincial, municipal governments, First Nations, the Whitecaps, MLS and FIFA were meeting with potential investors to keep the team in Vancouver.
Earlier in May it was reported that a U.S.-based billionaire had stepped forward on behalf of an investor group to buy the team and move it to Las Vegas.
The investor group was led by Grant Gustavson, son of billionaire Tamara Gustavson.
Las Vegas Bound?
In a related statement, MLS CEO Don Garber talked about how economic challenging it has been to keep the team in Vancouver. Those challenges are in part tied to the team’s lease with BC Place, the downtown Vancouver stadium where the team plays, which restricts match day revenue-generation opportunities combined with difficulties when it comes to scheduling.
The Whitecaps have been for sale since 2024, but interested buyers who have come forward have all expressed concerns about the current business model.
The City of Vancouver, Province, Federal Government, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, PavCo, and private partners are aligned and working together within a positive framework to deliver an even better future for soccer in our city,” today’s statement read.
Included in that, the statement said, was a commitment to “improving the game day economic model at BC Place,” as well as exploring other sponsorship opportunities for the team, while pushing forward on plans for a new stadium site in the city.
Economic Challenges
In December news broke that the thoroughbred racing component of Hastings Racecourse & Casino in East Vancouver was closing its doors, after Great Canadian Entertainment had sold the casino operations portion of the property to the Tsleil-Waututh Nation the previous November.
The Whitecaps had announced in December they were close to a deal with the city for an exclusive window to a team together to build a soccer stadium on the site.
Let’s be clear: Vancouver is open for business,” today’s statement read. “We are doing everything we can to keep the Whitecaps here, and we are committed to building a long-term solution that reflects the scale, ambition and global future of this city.”
$445 Million Valuation
Vancouver is about to welcome the FIFA World Cup, with seven games scheduled to be played at BC Place in June and July.
CBC reported yesterday that more than 400 businesses in Vancouver had signed a letter pledging support to help keep the Whitecaps in Vancouver.
Forbes has valued the Whitecaps at $455 million, 29th out of the MLS’ 30 clubs, despite the fact the Whitecaps made the MLS’ championship title game last year against Inter Miami. Relocation in MLS requires sign off from two-thirds of MLS owners.
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