Sports Teams in British Columbia

British Columbia has been home to many professional sports teams over the years, ranging from soccer, to hockey, to basketball. They have made a mark on the sports world. 

Credit: Sport League Maps

As of spring 2025 BC is home to 11 professional teams. Most notable is our hockey team the Vancouver Canucks, however, most of our professional teams fall to soccer. 

BC homes two professional hockey teams the Vancouver Canucks under the National Hockey League, and the Abbotsford Canucks under the American Hockey League. The Abbotsford Canucks is the Vancouver Canucks affiliate team also known as their farm team. 

Since the founding of the Vancouver Canucks in 1970 they have not won a Stanley Cup. They have made it to the finals 3 times, however, they have not succeeded in clinching a win. 

The Vancouver Canadians is BC’s professional baseball team, which falls under Minor League Baseball. They are the affiliate team for the Toronto Blue Jays. They originally started as the affiliate team for the Oakland Athletics from 2000 until 2010, and then moved to Toronto in 2011 to present. 

In basketball BC is home to the Vancouver Bandits, they are a part of Canadian Elite Basketball League. The Bandits originally started in the Abbotsford in 2018 and remained there until 2022. They were then moved to Langley and rebranded as the Vancouver Bandits, where they have been playing for the past few seasons. 

From 1995 until 2001 BC was home to the Vancouver Grizzlies who were a part of the National Basketball Association. The NBA however, moved the team to Memphis and has been there for the past 24 years. 

In football BC is home to the Canadian Football Leagues BC Lions. Since their founding in 1953 they have won 6 Grey Cups, the most recent being in 2011. They have also received 13 division titles over the years as well.  

BC is home to the Vancouver Warriors who are under the National Lacrosse League. They were originally named the Stealth up until 2018 and were subsequently rebranded to the Warriors that same year. 

There are 5 professional soccer teams residing in BC. Falling under a number of banners such as; Major League Soccer, Major League Soccer Next Pro, Canadian Pro League, and the newly founded Northern Super League for women’s soccer. 

The Vancouver Whitecaps were founded May 5, 1974 and have continued to grow and play every year since its founding. There are a number of Whitecap teams and affiliations throughout BC. 

The Vancouver Rise founded in 2024 is Vancouver's first professional Women's sports team established in BC and will have their inaugural season in 2025. There first home game of the season will be on April 16. 

There is also hope that one day BC will be home to a Professional Women’s Hockey League team. During the PWHL tour over 19,000 fans showed up to show support, which was more than a Canucks have garnered this season. 

People are showing up for women’s sports and we look forward to the continued growth of professional teams here in BC.