BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia, has been a defining element of the city’s skyline and sporting identity since it opened on June 19, 1983. Originally constructed as the world’s largest air-supported domed stadium — a Teflon fiberglass roof held aloft by internal air pressure — it welcomed 60,342 fans for its inaugural sporting event: a North American Soccer League match between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Seattle Sounders. The Province of British Columbia owns the facility through the BC Pavilion Corporation.

The stadium’s history was dramatically reshaped on January 5, 2007, when snow accumulation caused a controlled deflation of the original dome roof. Rather than risk structural failure, maintenance crews lowered the roof safely onto its support cables. This incident accelerated a transformative $514 million renovation that began in May 2010, immediately after the Winter Olympics and Paralympics concluded in Vancouver.

The renovation’s centrepiece was replacing the air-supported dome with a cable-supported retractable roof — the largest of its kind in the world upon completion. The new roof opens to reveal a 100-by-85-metre aperture matching the field dimensions below. A second-largest centre-hung HD scoreboard in North America measuring 68 by 38 feet was installed, along with FIFA 2-star certified FieldTurf and dramatically expanded concourses.

BC Place serves as home to the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League and Vancouver Whitecaps FC of MLS. It has hosted the Grey Cup championship ten times and the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final between Japan and the United States, drawing 54,027 spectators. In 2025, the Whitecaps set a new attendance record of 53,957 during MLS Cup playoff semi-finals.

For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, BC Place will host seven matches — the most of either Canadian venue — as one of only two stadiums north of the US border in the tournament.