Vancouver Whitecaps Soccer

The Vancouver Whitecaps are a Major League Soccer team that usually plays home games during the regular season from March to October at BC Place Stadium.

This article contains the following information about the Vancouver Whitecaps:

Home Game Schedule | Whitecaps Tickets | Fan Groups | Whitecaps Team History | Other Information

Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club

The Vancouver Whitecaps are an MLS soccer team. During normal seasons they play home games at BC Place Stadium at 777 Pacific Boulevard in downtown Vancouver.

The Whitecaps usually have 17 home games in MLS play each season. They can also have additional matches in other competitions. This includes the Canadian Championship which is an annual tournament of thirteen teams from across the country.

There is also the CONCACAF Champions League which is an annual tournament of sixteen teams from across North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

2023 Home Game Schedule

Below are the scheduled home games for 2023. All are held at BC Place Stadium. For the full broadcast schedule including both these and road games, see the Vancouver Whitecaps‘ website. (Note: Times, dates and other game details are subject to change.)

Spring & Winter Games

February 25, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs Real Salt Lake at 7:30 pm.
March 8, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs Real España at 7:00 pm.
March 11, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs FC Dallas at 2:00 pm.
April 1, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs CF Montréal at 7:30 pm.
April 8, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs Portland Timbers at 7:30 pm.
April 29, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs Colorado Rapids at 7:30 pm.
May 6, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs Minnesota United FC at 7:30 pm.
May 20, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs Seattle Sounders FC at 7:30 pm.
May 31, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs Houston Dynamo FC at 7:30 pm.

Summer Games

June 3, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs Sporting Kansas City at 7:30 pm.
June 10, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs FC Cincinnati at 7:30 pm.
July 8, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs Seattle Sounders FC at 7:30 pm.
July 12, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs Austin FC at 7:30 pm.
July 15, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs LA Galaxy at 7:30 pm.
August 20, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs San Jose Earthquakes at 7:30 pm.

Autumn Games

September 30, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs DC United at 7:30 pm.
October 14, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs St. Louis City SC at 7:30 pm.
October 21, 2023 – Vancouver Whitecaps vs Los Angeles FC at 6:00 pm.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Whitecaps Tickets

Single game tickets for Whitecaps soccer home games usually start at about $30. Season tickets start at around $50 per month.

Season Tickets

BC Place Whitecaps Seating Map

The price for season tickets for Whitecaps home games depend on where you sit. BC Place Stadium is divided up into sections. Below is a list of prices per month by section for the 2023 season.

White – $50
Teal – $50
Yellow – $72
Blue – $123
Purple – $164
Pink – $171 to $253
Orange – $343 to $400

In addition to being able to watch all the games, benefits of season tickets include 15% off VWFC gear, pre-sale access to other BC Place events and invites to member-only events. (Note: Exact details may vary.)

Whitecaps Fan Groups

The Vancouver Whitecaps have half a dozen official supporter groups, including the Southsiders.

The Southsiders are known to be the largest and loudest of the supporter groups. They typically take over the southeast corner of BC Place Stadium (in sections 249-254).

Southsiders usually meet for pre-game drinks at Dublin Calling which is a pub on Granville Street not far from BC Place Stadium. After their ritual of pre-game beverages, the Southsiders then march en masse to the game.

Vancouver Whitecaps Team History

Below is the history of Vancouver’s professional soccer team. The first section details the history of the team prior to the year 2000. The second has information about the team since then.

The Soccer Team from 1974 to 2000

Founded in 1974, the Whitecaps played in the North American Soccer League until the league folded in 1984. In 1979 they won the NASL Championship, the first major North American sports championship for the city in over 60 years. Around 100,000 people attended the championship parade on Robson Street.

When the Canadian Soccer League (CSL) formed in 1986 a new franchise in Vancouver was created. They were named the Vancouver 86ers because of the year the club was founded, the year Canada first qualified for the World Cup (1986), and the year Vancouver became a city (1886). It was also the year of the 1986 World’s Fair, or Expo 86.

In 1986, its first year with its new name, the team moved from playing at BC Place Stadium (which had opened in 1983) to Swangard Stadium in Burnaby.

The 86ers won four straight CSL championships from 1988 to 1991. During those years they broke the Canadian pro sports record for the longest undefeated streak (46 games). When the CSL folded in 1992 the 86ers moved to the American Professional Soccer League (or APSL which was later renamed the USL). They then remained in that league until their move to MLS in 2011.

The Soccer Team Since 2000

In 2000 the 86ers changed their name back to the Whitecaps. They won the USL Championship twice, in 2006 and 2008.

In 2009 it was announced that the Whitecaps would join the MLS as an expansion team in 2011, along with Portland. The Whitecaps played most of their first season with the new league in the temporary stadium, Empire Field, which stood at the site of the Pacific National Exhibition. In the fall of 2011 they moved back to BC Place Stadium where they’ve played ever since.

In their MLS history the Whitecaps’ best season was in 2015, where they finished 2nd in the Western Conference standings and won the Canadian Championship. That meant they qualified for the 2016 CONCACAF Champions League where they reached the semifinals (their best finish in that competition).