Is Vancouver moving to Las Vegas

Discussion in 'MLS: News & Analysis' started by superdave, Apr 30, 2026.

  1. jaykoz3

    jaykoz3 Member+

    Dec 25, 2010
    Conshohocken, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ummm.... did you forget about Allegiant stadium?

    Also, Cashman Field is not likely going to be around much longer either:

    https://lvsportsbiz.com/2026/01/21/...al-to-allow-lennar-to-build-home-development/
     
  2. Rahbiefowlah

    Rahbiefowlah Member+

    Oct 22, 2001
    Las Vegas
    Cashman was bought by Lennar, a home builder who intends to put up affordable housing on the property. The Lights need a new home anyway.

    So, this may surprise you, but Las Vegas has a 65,000 dome on the Strip, Allegiant Stadium. It has hosted the Super Bowl, Copa America (I was there for Brazil-Paraguay) the US Men’s National Team won Concacaf Nations League there in 2021, I believe. I mean I was there when we beat Mexico and Weston had his shirt torn. I think we have a suitable short-term stadium. I’ve seen Chelsea-Club America and Juventus-Chivas there, along with a couple Raiders games and the final PAC-12 Champonship football game.

    The prospective new stadium locations, which were outlined in the Review-Journal’s article, are both on the Strip.

    It’s really cute reading all the Vegas Isn’t Ready, Vegas is a Tourist Town musings.

    We certainly are a tourist town, and probably one of the best in the world. Which is why you all fly here to the desert, drop off your money and go home. Assuming nobody lives here. Keep it up fellas.
     
  3. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I believe Cashman Field has been bought by a construction company.
     
  4. jaykoz3

    jaykoz3 Member+

    Dec 25, 2010
    Conshohocken, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States


    BC Lions negotiating a new lease as well......
     
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  5. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The Whitecaps played the majority of the 2011 season in Hastings Park at Empire Field.
     
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  6. Robert Borden

    Robert Borden Member+

    Chelsea
    Canada
    Apr 19, 2017
    Toronto, Ontario
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    Article about that below

    Reminder
    • PavCo controls major game-day revenue sources, including parking, concession, and alcohol sales, as well as potentially lucrative stadium naming rights and all concert revenue. The company reportedly makes $1.5 million in profit from their current arrangement with the Whitecaps, but offered the team a proposal in February which would have seen the stadium operate at net zero revenue going forward. That deal was rejected.
    The most likely outcome for the Lions
    • The details of the B.C. Lions’ current lease agreement with BC Place have not been reported, but they are believed to be similar to the Whitecaps’ deal. The CFL franchise has remained publicly silent about the ongoing situation until now, but could benefit financially from the efforts being made to keep the MLS in Vancouver. Governments may be wary of bending over backwards for one local sports team while disadvantaging another.
    Difference in attendance
    • The Lions average attendance was 27,124 last season, the third highest in the CFL. The Whitecaps averaged 21,806 fans per game, which was 13th in the MLS.
     
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  7. SetPeace

    SetPeace Member+

    Jun 22, 2004
    SC Illinois
    Club:
    Torquay United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    With regards to attendance between the Lions and Whitecaps, does the upper bowl of BC Place get opened up routinely for CFL games? For most of the MLS home games in Vancouver, the upper decks are closed off.
     
  8. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't think so. They usually get between 20 and 24k.
     
  9. SetPeace

    SetPeace Member+

    Jun 22, 2004
    SC Illinois
    Club:
    Torquay United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    According to Robert Borden, the Lions average about 27,100 per game, while the Whitecaps average nearly 21,800 per contest. I thought the capacity at the lower bowl was in the neighborhood of 25k, but I don't know. I also don't know if the field configurations for each sport are so vastly different that the lower bowl seating capacity would be impacted much.
     
  10. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    #360 Paul Berry, May 17, 2026
    Last edited: May 17, 2026
    Last season the BC Lions got:
    52,837 v Edmonton
    20,138 v Winnipeg
    28,983 v Sasquatch Ewan
    22,438 v Hamilton
    23,318 v Montreal
    19,803 v Ottawa
    21,205 v Toronto
    28,308 v Calgary
    26,308 v Edmonton
    Post season
    26,383 v Calgary

    Lower bowl capacity is 27,695

    CFL average including playoffs 26,972
    MLS average including playoffs 24,043

    Cumulative regular season plus playoffs
    CFL 269,271
    MLS 456,810

    Cumulative all competitions
    Lions 269,271
    Whitecaps 590,325
     
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  11. wantmlsphilly

    wantmlsphilly Member+

    Aug 2, 2006
    Philadelphia, Pa.
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Was Messi playing for Edmonton in that first game?:laugh:
     
  12. ThreeApples

    ThreeApples Member+

    Jul 28, 1999
    Smurf Village
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Pregame Snoop Dogg concert.
     
  13. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Caps should sign Snoop Dog.
     
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  14. superdave

    superdave Member+

    Jul 14, 1999
    Raleigh NC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Snoop and caps are a natural fit
     
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  15. Stan Collins

    Stan Collins Member+

    Feb 26, 1999
    Silver Spring, MD
    I was listening to a podcast that allowed me to put a number to this. It's a US stat, but still food for thought:
    49% of all consumption in the US is coming from the top 10% of the wealth distribution
    60% of all consumption in the US is coming from the top 20% of the income distribution (income cutoff of about 175k)
     
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  16. NFLPatriot

    NFLPatriot Member+

    Jun 25, 2002
    Foxboro, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You keep repeating this, even though it is patently false. Please stop.
     
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  17. jaykoz3

    jaykoz3 Member+

    Dec 25, 2010
    Conshohocken, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    IF they allow whichever group buys Vancouver to move the team to Las Vegas then the league would in fact lose out on an expansion fee that will be well north of $500M. Expansion fees get redistributed equally amongst the existing owners, where as the sale of the team goes to that teams original owners.

    Now, the group that buys Vancouver may in fact pay less than $500M for the Caps, however, if they then move them to Vegas (or any other market), MLS would likely charge a fairly hefty relocation fee. That could put the price ABOVE what a potential expansion fee could be.
     
  18. NFLPatriot

    NFLPatriot Member+

    Jun 25, 2002
    Foxboro, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ugh. Let me explain again.

    Let's say MLS decides to expand to 32 teams, at $500M each. Total would be $1B.

    If Vancouver moves to Vegas, MLS will not stop at 31 teams. The next city on the list will pay the $500M for team 32. MLS will not lose a dime, much less $500M.
     
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  19. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Sure, but at some point MLS will stop expanding and they will have gotten one market less expansion fee if Vancouver moves. Is that a big deal right now? Opinions vary. But there are a finite number of MLS markets so filling one by moving a team means they will lose an expansion fee, eventually. (Unless they go back to Vancouver of course, but that seems unlikely)
     
  20. wantmlsphilly

    wantmlsphilly Member+

    Aug 2, 2006
    Philadelphia, Pa.
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    How would they lose an expansion fee? Unless the number is unlimited, then yes they lose a fee but lets say it's eight, they still get eight fees even if Vancouver isn't one of them. Chances are the number will be two if there is a next round. Regardless if Vancouver does or doesn't have a team, they've already mentioned more than two cities with each one already having a USL team.
    Las Vegas
    Sacramento
    Phoenix
    Tampa Bay
    Indianapolis
    You could probably add in Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Baltimore as possibly on the list if a group came along. Also the 500 million number isn't written in stone, it could be more or less depending on the situation. San Diego had a stadium unlike Vegas that would need to build one.
     
  21. jaykoz3

    jaykoz3 Member+

    Dec 25, 2010
    Conshohocken, PA
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This makes no sense........ If vancouver moves to Vegas, MLS will still be at 30 teams....... and the league won't get a $500M+ expansion fee for a Vegas team......

    Also, each team that's added, the expansion price goes up. The next team added will pay more than $500M. That ,money is to offset the lost % of shjares ion the league for each ownership group, plus the decrease in sponsorship and media money pie due to it being split into more slices.
     
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  22. JasonMa

    JasonMa Member+

    Mar 20, 2000
    Arvada, CO
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I should have phrased that better. At some point the league will reach the limit on the markets that can support a team. If they stop expanding before that limit then yes, they won't lose anything. But if they expand up to that limit then they'll have lost the fee from Vegas.

    Again, in the big picture is that important? Opinions differ. But there is a cost (or a potential cost) to allowing relocation instead of expansion.
     
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  23. wantmlsphilly

    wantmlsphilly Member+

    Aug 2, 2006
    Philadelphia, Pa.
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Actually NYCFC was 100 million and Orlando, Atlanta were only 70 million, Minnesota matched NYCFC and after that LAFC was when it kept increasing each time. Also I would imagine Miami would be a special situation since there was some kind of discount added, I think.
    .
    If they did add two teams for one billion dollars, I wonder if owners of each team would like to invest with the money or just pocket it?
     
  24. wantmlsphilly

    wantmlsphilly Member+

    Aug 2, 2006
    Philadelphia, Pa.
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Is there? I'll never say they won't go past a certain number but I don't think they would announce four new teams by 2029/30 the first year of the next media deal. The most likely scenario I would think would be two teams with the possibility of divisions of four teams that could work for the 34 team schedule. If that were to happen you might get a billion dollars plus a relocation fee. So there would actually be a bigger profit instead of a cost.
     
  25. Paul Berry

    Paul Berry Member+

    Notts County and NYCFC
    United States
    Apr 18, 2015
    Nr Kingston NY
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Miami was $25 million.
    .
    The value of each shareholding would go up by $62.5 million over however many years the new teams were given to pay.
     

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