Vancouver Whitecaps expecting massive crowd for long-awaited BC Place return
The Vancouver Whitecaps have been waiting nearly three months to make their BC Place return.
And while they still have three more road games before coming home, one of their biggest regular-season crowds ever will await them in Vancouver.
The Whitecaps announced on Tuesday that more than 30,000 tickets have been sold for their home return on Aug. 1.
Their homecoming is a marquee matchup as well, with the Whitecaps set to battle Los Angeles FC in a rematch of the 2025 Western Conference Semifinals, where Vancouver gutted out a thrilling win in penalty kicks.
The Whitecaps have only surpassed the 30,000 mark for a regular-season game three other times in their franchise history.
One of those games featured Los Angeles FC back in October 2024. Just over 30,000 fans watched Vancouver battle LAFC at BC Place in a game that had playoff implications.
The other two contests also occurred in 2024. There were 32,501 fans at BC Place to watch the Whitecaps battle Austin FC for the Whitecaps’ 50th anniversary celebration. The third match to surpass 30,000 was the infamous game against Inter Miami in May 2024, when 51,035 bought tickets to watch Lionel Messi, who didn’t even suit up.
Although the entire MLS has been on pause during the FIFA World Cup, the Whitecaps did get their feet wet during Canadian Championship action in July. They defeated the Cavalry FC 5-2 on aggregate across two games to advance to the Semifinals.
A date against LAFC at BC Place is obviously a different challenge.
Thankfully, the Whitecaps are rolling out of the break with one of the best records in the MLS. They have a 10-2-2 record with 32 points, tied with the San Jose Earthquakes for second overall in the league. Only Nashville FC has more points (33).
LAFC haven’t been as hot of late, winning just once in their last six games across all competitions. However, they still sit fifth overall in the Western Conference with a 7-3-5 record.
Vancouver is getting some reinforcements coming out of the break as well, with Ryan Gauld recently returning during the Canadian Championship. Sam Adekugbe also returned during the second leg in the Canadian Championship, which was his first on-pitch action in over a year.