If you’re looking to get into the team spirit and camaraderie of sporting teams or just after something to do on the weekends, you can find a range of professional sports and teams that you can support in the city of Vancouver. Here’s our fan guide and recent experiences catching a live game.
Table of Contents
- Ice Hockey – Vancouver Canucks
- Football – BC Lions
- Soccer – Vancouver Whitecaps
- Upcoming Sporting Events
Ice Hockey – Vancouver Canucks
By far the city’s pride and joy when it comes to pro sports, the Vancouver Canucks have a long history playing in the National Hockey League and with that, a loyal Vancouver fan base. Although they’ve never won the Stanley Cup (the championship), and it has been over a decade since the last finals appearance – which also led to the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riots, the people of Vancouver are still passionate about their ice hockey and you feel that at the home games located at Rogers Arena.
We recently went to one of the Canucks games early in the season against the Philadelphia Flyers and enjoyed our time. The atmosphere at Rogers Arena was electric and loud as the Vancouver crowd dons themselves in blue (or black) Canucks merch and really get behind the team. Rogers is a good arena where you’ll have a solid view of the hockey rink in any row.
We were all the way in the back/last row and tickets cost us $117.50 each (including tax), so not the most affordable tickets out there. If you’re not worried about potentially missing out, then I would recommend waiting until the last minute to see if you can snag resale tickets which can often be cheaper than RRP. We’d recommend that if you’re living in Vancouver to give a Canucks game a shot at least once. Although ice hockey can be a bit chaotic for a new person to the sport to follow, it can get very exciting when goals are scored. Our game went to overtime and a penalty shootout but unfortunately the Canucks lost.
Football – BC Lions
If you’re looking to watch football live in Vancouver then the BC Lions are the way to go. They’re the oldest professional sports team in British Columbia and play in the Canadian Football League while based in Vancouver. They play home games at BC Place which is the stadium located in downtown Vancouver and have a successful history, winning multiple Grey Cup championships, their last however being in 2011. Although not quite the NFL, the CFL is Canada’s level of competition in Canadian football and players can try out for NFL teams.
A home game for the BC Lions at BC Place only cost us $36 each (including tax) which was a welcoming price compared to Canucks tickets. This landed us with seats behind the goal posts and only the lower bowl of the stadium is open so you’re closer to the field. The atmosphere at the game is family-friendly and more relaxed than a Canucks game. If you’re new to the sport, it can be tricky following football with all of the stoppages, penalties and fouls but it does get hype seeing touchdowns. It was a close game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with the BC Lions leading going into the half but unfortunately they couldn’t close it out in the second (noticing a trend here?).
Soccer – Vancouver Whitecaps
Also playing home games out of BC Place, the Vancouver Whitecaps are the city’s professional soccer team competing in the Major League Soccer. The Whitecaps are a fairly young professional sports team, founded in 2009 and joining the MLS in 2011. They haven’t won it all in the MLS just yet, but have won the Canadian Championship 4 times.
Despite playing in such a big stadium, Whitecaps fans definitely bring the energy especially in the fan zones, singing and chanting to support the team. Average tickets for prices can range anywhere from $25 at the lowest to over $70 for more premium seats. Like the BC Lions game, only lower bowl will be open so you’ll be closer to the field and the action. Games won’t always sell out though so if you’re willing to wait until the last minute you may be able to find some cheap resale tickets from people who can no longer make it to the game.
Upcoming Sporting Events
Vancouver is set to host some big sporting events with the Invictus Games coming to Vancouver and Whistler in 2025. Founded by Prince Harry, the Invictus Games is a multi-sport event for injured, wounded and sick servicemen and women.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 will also be coming to Vancouver with the city set to host 7 soccer matches at BC Place including two of Canada’s group stage matches and two knockout matches. With a capacity of 54,000, this will be a very exciting time for the city bringing in fans from all around the world to take part in and enjoy the soccer world up.