Vancouver Whitecaps FC set their MLS-era attendance record on Saturday night, welcoming a sold-out crowd of 53,957 fans to BC Place for their epic victory over LAFC in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.
After a 2-2 draw where the Whitecaps got first-half goals from Emmanuel Sabbi and Mathías Laborda, they won 4-3 in penalty kicks to reach the club's first-ever Western Conference Final. Laborda scored the game-winning PK, setting off raucous celebrations for arguably the club's biggest-ever game.
By winning the Western Conference Semifinal, Vancouver will meet San Diego FC or Minnesota United FC in the next round on Nov. 29. That winner advances to MLS Cup presented by Audi on Dec. 6.
Making history
Vancouver's previous MLS-era attendance record was set on April 24 when the club welcomed 53,837 fans for a 2-0 win over Inter Miami CF in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals (first leg).
The Whitecaps' largest-ever crowd (60,342 fans) turned out in June 1983 for a match vs. the Seattle Sounders – marking the first-ever sporting event at BC Place. At the time, both clubs were in the old North American Soccer League (NASL).
Vancouver played their first MLS season in 2011. This year, they've welcomed nearly 600,000 fans to BC Place across all matches.
Incredible year
During the regular season, Vancouver finished second in the Western Conference and fifth in the Supporters’ Shield standings with a club-best 18W-7L-9D record and 63 points.
Additionally, the Whitecaps tallied club records in MLS regular-season play for wins (18), goals scored (66), and goal difference (+28). Along the way, they've made the Concacaf Champions Cup final and won a fourth straight Canadian Championship.
This is all during head coach Jesper Sørensen's first season at the helm. The Danish manager was hired in January after the club moved on from Vanni Sartini.
German superstar Thomas Müller arrived in August, supercharging a team that already featured two MLS Best XI selections in defender Tristan Blackmon and midfielder Sebastian Berhalter. Blackmon was also named the MLS Defender of the Year, while Berhalter has become a key USMNT player before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
