MLS receives formal bid to relocate Vancouver Whitecaps to Las Vegas

As Vancouver prepares to host the World Cup, the local soccer club could be one step closer to leaving.

VANCOUVER — An investor group led by businessman Grant Gustavson says it has submitted a bid to Major League Soccer to buy the Vancouver Whitecaps and relocate the club to Las Vegas.

The group has proposed building a privately financed, soccer-specific stadium in Las Vegas, with no public funding, though details of the site and terms of the offer were not disclosed.

“In the coming weeks and months, we look forward to the opportunity to share more; however, out of respect for the league’s deliberations and community stakeholders, we are refraining from sharing details of our proposal,” Jacqueline Peterson, a spokesperson for the investor group, said in a statement Thursday.

“We look forward to continuing to work for a positive outcome for the game, the fans, the league and Las Vegas.”

Gustavson, 30, is the grandson of Public Storage co-founder B. Wayne Hughes and the son of billionaire Tamara Gustavson, one of the company’s largest shareholders.

Ravi Kahlon, B.C.’s minister of jobs and economic growth, said the province is seeking answers from the league.

“We haven’t seen the proposal from Las Vegas at all,” he said. “Our message to the league has been, if you want to expand the league, you can expand it — it doesn’t need to be a team from Vancouver that gets moved to that jurisdiction.”

Multiple groups are believed to be exploring relocation options as MLS reviews the Whitecaps’ future.

The club has been up for sale since 2024, with ownership citing ongoing challenges tied to stadium control and revenue at B.C. Place.

“Over the past 16 months, we have had serious conversations with more than 100 parties, and to date, no viable offer has emerged that would keep the club here,” the Whitecaps said in a statement on Monday.

“It remains the strong preference of this ownership group to find a solution in Vancouver. If there is a local ownership group with the vision and resources to chart a path forward, we urge them to come forward.”

News of the bid from Gustavson’s group came a day after B.C. Premier David Eby met with MLS commissioner Don Garber and described the talks on the team’s future as “constructive.”

Garber is in Vancouver for FIFA Congress events, but a spokesperson said he will not speak with media on Thursday.

Garber met with Eby on Wednesday, and the premier released a video Wednesday night saying the province is “at the table fighting hard” to keep the team in Vancouver.

“We have the World Cup coming, we are a world-class football town — losing the Whitecaps is not an option,” the premier said.

“I saw the shots of the fans out at the rally to save the Whitecaps. We are on the same side; we will fight hard to save our team.”

Hours later, a now-deleted post from Garber’s X account replied: “Liar, liar pants on fire.”

A league spokesperson later said the commissioner’s account was compromised.

Kahlon said he would take the commissioner at his word that his account was taken over.

“Well, being hacked is never a pleasant experience. I’m sure the commissioner is happy that it was only one tweet that got out from his account,” he told reporters in the legislature.

Kahlon, a Whitecaps season ticket holder, said the government wants the club to remain in Vancouver because the team is an important part of the community.

“We understand that the value has gone from $35 million to close to $500 million, and they see an opportunity to cash in on that,” he said. ”But we also believe that the MLS owes it to the fans in Vancouver to do whatever they can to keep the team here.”

The minister said the league has stepped in to prevent other teams from leaving their cities, and the same opportunity could happen in Vancouver.

About three dozen Whitecaps fans gathered Thursday outside the Vancouver Convention Centre, where the 76th FIFA Congress is being held, greeting arriving soccer dignitaries with a protest amid uncertainty over the club’s future.

Fans held “Save the Caps” signs and sang club chants.

The demonstration comes as a campaign to keep the team in the city continues online, with a petition on savethecaps.com drawing 8,550 signatures as of Thursday morning.

Hundreds of people marched to B.C. Place behind a giant banner reading “Save the Caps” ahead of Vancouver’s game against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday.

Inside, more than 2,000 fans held paper signs — provided by the team’s supporters groups — with the same message as players walked out onto the field.

Others brought their own visual messages of support, including a giant banner reading “We will fight for our club and we will win” next to an image of a fist.

A sold-out crowd of 27,589 people watched the game, marking the 19th-straight MLS match where the ‘Caps have drawn a crowd of at least 20,000 fans.

“We’ve known for a little while now that the team is up for sale. But our job at the end of the day is to get results on the pitch,” defender Tristan Blackmon said after the Whitecaps beat the Rapids 3-1.

“We don’t have that much of an influence on what goes on big picture in terms of where the team goes, if it stays. All we can do as players is put on good performances like we did tonight. The most we can do as players is try to represent the community and everybody who comes out here really well. So we’re going to keep on trying to do that.”

The province has offered the Whitecaps financial concessions at B.C. Place, but has ruled out buying the team.

Following his meeting with Garber, Eby told reporters the province would not transfer control of the provincially owned stadium to the Whitecaps to stabilize the club’s finances, and added that the team has shown no interest in that option.

The premier said he planned to meet with the MLS commissioner again.

— With files from Wolfgang Depner in Victoria.

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• Whitecaps relocation talk raises economic concerns
• Minister says B.C. government won’t buy Whitecaps, but will help MLS team cut costs

This report by Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press, was first published April 30, 2026.