VANCOUVER, BC – Major League Soccer unveiled the 2023 regular season schedule on Tuesday, with Vancouver Whitecaps FC set to host Real Salt Lake in their season opener at BC Place on Saturday, February 25. The ’Caps regular season will culminate on MLS Decision Day against the 2022 MLS Cup winnersLos Angeles FC at BC Place on October 21.
- Whitecaps FC Holiday Packs are now available starting at $105 - includes first three home matches of 2023 and a scarf, while supplies last
“We are excited to share our complete MLS regular season schedule for 2023 as we continue to work on building a team that regularly competes for trophies,” said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC CEO & sporting director. “Together with our play on the field and the support of our incredible fans, we made BC Place a fortress - sixth best home record in MLS. We have lots to look forward to during the regular season, including our home opener in just over two months, matches against our Cascadia and Canadian rivals, a Decision Day match against the defending champions, and much more, all while we also compete in the Concacaf Champions League, Leagues Cup and Canadian Championship play.”
The 2023 season will see the debut of MLS Season Pass, the unprecedented subscription service from Apple and MLS that will have every match of the regular season, Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs, and Leagues Cup – all in one place and with no blackouts. As an exclusive benefit, Whitecaps FC 2023 Season Members will receive a subscription to MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, as well as significant savings over single match tickets.
- For more information on Whitecaps FC season memberships visit whitecapsfc.com/tickets
With a focus on building a schedule to best serve the league’s passionate fans and drive destination viewing and attendance, the majority of games in the 2023 season will be played on Saturday, and select Wednesdays, with 7:30 p.m. local start times. In the 34-game regular season, Vancouver will play 26 matches on Saturdays (13 at home, 13 away), seven matches on Wednesdays (three at home, four away), and one home match on Sunday.
The 14 Western Conference teams will play two games against each intra-conference opponent, the ’Caps will play an extra game against Cascadia rivals Portland and Seattle, as well as six matches against cross-conference opponents.
SEASON OPENER
For the 12th time in their MLS era, Vancouver will kick off the regular season in front of their home fans at BC Place, hosting fellow Western Conference side Real Salt Lake on Saturday, February 25.
The Blue and White are unbeaten in their last three meetings against Salt Lake, which includes a 2-1 victory at BC Place in the previous encounter. The ’Caps have an all-time record of 10W-2L-1D against RSL at BC Place.
CASCADIA CUP
The ’Caps are set to play Cascadia rivals Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders FC three times each during the regular season as the trio battles it out for the Cascadia Cup.
On Saturday, April 8, Vancouver will welcome the Timbers to BC Place, while Portland will host the following two meetings at Providence Park on Saturday, May 13, during the league’s Rivalry Week, and Saturday, August 26.
Meanwhile, the ‘Caps will host the Sounders twice at BC Place, with the first meeting set during MLS Rivalry Week on Saturday, May 20 and the second meeting on Saturday, July 8. The third match will see Vancouver travel down to Seattle for their final away match of the regular season on Saturday, October 7 at Lumen Field.
SUMMER OF SOCCER
There will be plenty of summer soccer in store at BC Place in 2023, with the ‘Caps set to host four consecutive regular season matches across July and August.
As previously mentioned, the Blue and White will host Cascadia rivals Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday, July 8 to kick off the homestand, followed by a mid-week clash against Austin FC on Wednesday, July 12 and another quick-turnaround match on Saturday, July 15 against LA Galaxy. The ‘Caps secured home victories against all three teams towards the conclusion of the 2022 regular season.
The MLS homestand will culminate after Leagues Cup play as San Jose Earthquakes come to town on Sunday, August 20.
WE MEET AGAIN
The ’Caps will be welcoming three Eastern Conference teams at BC Place across the regular season.
Canadian rivals CF Montréal are set to visit Vancouver for the first time since September 2020 on Saturday, April 1, while the ‘Caps host FC Cincinnati on Saturday, June 10 in the first-ever match between the two sides at BC Place. D.C. United also come to town on Saturday, September 30 for the first time since August 2019.
TRIPS OUT EAST
During their six-game road trip in August and September, Vancouver will visit three Eastern Conference opponents.
The ’Caps will face Chicago Fire FC on Wednesday, August 30 in their second match of the road swing, marking the first time the Blue and White travel to Chicago since April 2019. The match will also mark the first time the ‘Caps play at the Fire’s Soldier Field.
Following the game against Chicago, the ‘Caps will head to the Big Apple to face 2021 MLS Cup Champions New York City FC on Saturday, September 2 at Yankee Stadium and will then travel to BMO Field for a Canadian clash against Toronto FC on Saturday, September 16 in a rematch of the 2022 Canadian Championship Final. The last time Toronto hosted Vancouver was back in August 2020.
NEW FOE
The ‘Caps will face 2023 expansion side St. Louis CITY SC twice during the regular season. The first-ever match between the two sides will be played on Saturday, May 27 at the new 22,500 seat CITYPARK in St. Louis, Missouri. The second meeting will be in Vancouver on Wednesday, October 4.
CLASH OF CHAMPIONS
In a clash of champions, Vancouver is set to take on 2022 MLS Cup champions LAFC in two meetings this season, with the first showdown scheduled at Banc of California Stadium on Saturday, June 24.
The second meeting will see the ‘Caps host the Black and Gold at BC Place on Decision Day. In a culminating day of regular season action on Saturday, October 21, all teams will face intra-conference opponents with everything on the line in a battle for playoff spots and seeding. MLS Decision Day kickoff times will be announced at a later date.
WEEKEND BREAKS
The 2023 schedule includes three weekends where Vancouver will not have a match. These dates come in conjunction with the international soccer calendar:
- June 16 - 18 (FIFA International Window June 12 - 20)
- September 9 - 11 (FIFA International Window September 4 - 12)
- October 13 - 15 (FIFA International Window October 9 - 17)
CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
The ’Caps will host Honduran side Real CD España in the 2023 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (SCCL) Round of 16. Vancouver will host the first leg on Wednesday, March 8 at BC Place, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. PT. The second leg of the series will be played on Wednesday, March 15 at Estadio Francisco Morazán in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. PT.
The winner of the two-legged clash will move on to face either Los Angeles FC or 2022 Concacaf League finalist Costa Rican side LD Alajuelense in the quarterfinals, with the first leg scheduled between April 4-6 and the second leg set to be played between April 11-13.
LEAGUES CUP
In a monumental new chapter for North American soccer, beginning in 2023, all 47 MLS and LIGA MX clubs will compete in a completely reimagined Leagues Cup: an annual, month-long, Concacaf-sanctioned tournament. Leagues Cup 2023 will make history as the first major soccer tournament to feature every club from a pair of top-flight leagues. The MLS regular season will pause following the July 15 games for Leagues Cup play and resume on August 20.
CANADIAN CHAMPIONSHIP
Whitecaps FC will look to defend their Canadian Championship triumph after securing their second-ever Voyageurs’ Cup last July in a shootout win over Toronto FC at BC Place.
Details for next season’s edition of the tournament will be announced by Canada Soccer at a later date.
2023 MLS ALL-STAR GAME PRESENTED BY TARGET
The 2023 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target is set for Wednesday, July 19 at Audi Field, home of D.C. United and will be free to watch exclusively on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app. The opponent for league’s showcase event will be announced at a later date.
MLS SEASON PASS & APPLE TV
The launch of MLS Season Pass on February 1 marks the official kickoff of the 10-year partnership between MLS and Apple, a historic first for a major professional sports league. To compliment the action, MLS Season Pass will offer a five-hour live whip-around show, capturing all of the key moments from every match from the start of the Eastern Conference games through the final whistle of the Western Conference games (4:30 p.m. PT - 9:30 p.m. PT).
A selection of MLS and Leagues Cup matches, including some of the biggest playoff matchups, will also be available at no additional cost to Apple TV+ subscribers, with a number of matches available for free on the Apple TV app. Select matches will also be available on FOX networks in the U.S., and on TSN and RDS in Canada. In the coming weeks, the extensive schedule of TSN and RDS regular season matches will be announced, with at least one match per week featuring a Canadian team.
MLS Season Pass is available on the Apple TV app for the price of $14.99 USD per month during the season or $99 USD per season, and Apple TV+ subscribers can sign up at a special price of $12.99 USD per month and $79 USD per season. A subscription to MLS Season Pass will be included with each full-season ticket account. Through Family Sharing, up to six family members can share the subscription using their own Apple ID and password.
Fans can ensure they catch all of the action in 2023 by following their favourite MLS clubs through My Sports on the Apple TV app. With iOS 16, Apple introduced a new My Sports section across iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV for users to easily follow their favourite clubs, teams, and leagues. Fans can visit apple.co/MySportsMLS on iPhone or iPad to be directed right to the Apple TV app and follow their favourite Major League Soccer clubs and get alerts before upcoming matches, follow scores in real time, and more.
