(Photo credit: Simon Fearn-Imagn Images)

Las Vegas and Phoenix are the top contenders to become an MLS city if the Vancouver Whitecaps were to relocate, The Athletic reported on Monday.

MLS declined to comment on the report.

Per the report, a special committee of MLS owners met earlier this month to conduct talks on the future of the Whitecaps, which could include relocation. Indianapolis and Sacramento are also among the markets who have expressed interest in joining the league.

MLS has met with a group interested in bringing a club to Las Vegas, per the report, and a separate group of Las Vegas investors called Starr Vegas unveiled a $10 billion development plan on the Vegas Strip. That plan would include a 50,000-seat soccer stadium, though the group has reportedly not engaged with MLS as of yet.

With their lease at BC Place set to expire at the end of 2026, the Whitecaps are working to find a new stadium in Vancouver.

'Since December 2024, ownership has prioritized finding a buyer committed to keeping the team in Vancouver, and to date, no solution has been found,' the Whitecaps said in a club statement provided to The Athletic.

MLS owners would have to approve any relocation, which would include a purchase price and relocation fee. San Diego FC, which joined MLS last season, paid a $500 million expansion fee, and per the report, the overall package for a group entering the league would exceed that $500 million price tag.

With the city of Vancouver, the Whitecaps entered an exclusive negotiation period last December that extends through 2026 to explore a new stadium and entertainment district at Hastings Park. However, there have been no updates since the club signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the city.

The Whitecaps date back to 1974, when they played their inaugural season in the NASL, and remained in the league until it folded in 1984. The Whitecaps began playing in the Canadian Soccer League in 1986 and were also in the American Professional Soccer League, the United Soccer League and the USSF Division 2 Pro League until joining MLS in 2011.

Winners of the last four Canadian Championships and coming off their first-ever MLS Cup final appearance (a 3-1 loss to Inter Miami CF), Vancouver is off to a strong start in 2026, sitting three points back of the Supporters' Shield through nine matches, and is 7-1-0 at BC Place.

--Field Level Media