Vancouver FC
Canadian professional soccer team from British Columbia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vancouver Football Club is a Canadian professional soccer club that competes in the Canadian Premier League, the top tier of the Canadian soccer league system.[1] The club is based in Langley, British Columbia and plays their home matches at Willoughby Stadium.
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| Full name | Vancouver Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname | The Eagles | ||
| Short name | VanFC, VFC | ||
| Founded | November 2, 2022 | ||
| Stadium | Willoughby Stadium, Langley, British Columbia | ||
| Capacity | 6,042 | ||
| Owner(s) | SixFive Sports and Entertainment | ||
| President | Rob Friend | ||
| Coach | Martin Nash | ||
| League | Canadian Premier League | ||
| 2025 | Regular season, 8th Playoffs, did not qualify | ||
| Website | vancouverfc | ||
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History
On November 10, 2021, the Canadian Premier League announced that it had awarded an expansion club in Vancouver to SixFive Sports and Entertainment LP.[2] More details were announced on April 13, 2022, when the CPL and SixFive announced that the new club would play in Langley, British Columbia, at Willoughby Stadium, adjacent to the Langley Events Centre.[3]
On November 2, 2022, the club held its official launch event where it announced its name; revealed its branding; and presented Afshin Ghotbi as the club's first head coach.[4] The CPL announced that the club would begin league play for the 2023 season.[5]
In March 2023, Eugene Martínez was called up to the Belize national team for 2022–23 CONCACAF Nations League B matches against Guatemala and the Dominican Republic. In the process he became the first Vancouver FC player to be called for international duty as a member of the club.[6]
First seasons
Vancouver FC played its first league match on April 15, 2023, away to provincial rivals Pacific FC. The match ended in a 1–0 victory for Pacific with Manny Aparicio becoming the first-ever goalscorer against Vancouver.[7] On matchday two, Vancouver defeated York United FC 2–1 for the club's inaugural victory. Shaan Hundal scored the first-ever goal for the club, while Gael Sandoval scored the eventual game-winner.[8][9]
The club faced Cavalry FC in its first home match at the newly-constructed Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre in front of a sell-out crowd of over 6,000 fans on May 7, 2023.[10] Despite playing a man-down for over an hour after a red card was shown to Rocco Romeo, the club managed a 1–1 draw. First-ever Vancouver FC scorer Shaan Hundal scored the equalizing goal which was also the first home goal in club history.[11]
Vancouver participated in the 2023 Canadian Championship for the first time but lost in the opening round to York United. The club ended their inaugural CPL season in seventh place out of eight – with a record of 8 wins, 5 draws, and 15 losses – and missed the playoffs by nine points.[12] In 2024, Vancouver once again lost in the first round of the Canadian Championship and finished second last in the CPL. Vancouver started the season strong and sat in 2nd place at the end of June but then won only two of their final sixteen matches to fall out of playoff contention.[13]
On July 23, 2025, Vancouver FC relieved manager Afshin Ghotbi of his duties.[14] Despite still being active in the semifinals of the 2025 Canadian Championship at the time of the coaching change,[15] the club sat in last place in the CPL with only 8 points through 15 matches played.[16] Over Ghotbi's two-and-a-half year tenure, the club held a combined 16–22–38 record.[14] Under interim manager Martin Nash, the team earned 13 points in their final 13 games but still finished the season in last place in the CPL. The team did reach the finals of the Canadian Championship where they were defeated by their crosstown rivals Vancouver Whitecaps FC by a score of 4–2. Despite the loss in the final and their regular season record, Vancouver FC qualified for the 2026 CONCACAF Champions Cup.[17]
In December 2025, former head coach Afshin Ghotbi filed a civil claim against Vancouver FC's ownership group, SixFive Sports & Entertainment, alleging the club failed to repay a $500,000 loan he provided in July 2023 to assist with the team's cash flow.[18] After Ghotbi's departure as head coach in July 2025, he sought repayment of the principal plus accrued interest, by then totalling over $700,000, and is seeking damages for breach of contract and misrepresentation. The defendants have disputed the allegations and stated they will contest the claim through the legal process. The lawsuit was publicly reported by CBC News and other outlets in late 2025.[19]
Crest and colours
The primary crest is circular and features the name of the club and year of establishment in the outer ring. In the centre is a stylized eagle in the shape of the letter V. The club colours are black, grey, and red (branded as charcoal black, silver, warm red, dark grey, and cinder).[20]
Stadium
Vancouver FC play in a new stadium at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre.[4] It has a capacity of 6,137 seats in its initial configuration, with potential for further expansion. The construction operations began in February 2023 and involved the usage of modular prefabricated elements.[24]
Players and staff
Roster
- As of February 4, 2026[25]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Out on loan
- As of February 12, 2026
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Staff
- As of July 22, 2025[26]
| Executive | |
|---|---|
| President |  Rob Friend |
| Coaching staff | |
| Head coach | Martin Nash |
| Assistant coach |  Philip Lund |
| Assistant coach | Azad Palani |
| Goalkeeping coach | Niko Giantsopoulos |
Head coaches
- As of October 18, 2025
| Coach | Nation | Tenure | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Afshin Ghotbi |  Iran |
November 2, 2022 – July 23, 2025 | 76 | 16 | 22 | 38 | 21.05 |
| Martin Nash (interim) | Canada |
July 23, 2025 – present | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 25.00 |
| Martin Nash | Canada |
January 14, 2026 – present | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Club captains
| Years | Name | Nation |
|---|---|---|
| 2023–present | Callum Irving[27] | Canada |
Records
Year-by-year
| Season | League | Playoffs | CC | Continental | Top goalscorer(s) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Div | League | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Pos. | Name | Goals | |||||
| 2023 | 1 | CPL | 28 | 8 | 5 | 15 | 28 | 50 | -22 | 29 | 1.04 | 7th | DNQ | R1 | Ineligible |  Gabriel Bitar Shaan Hundal |
6 | |
| 2024 | CPL | 28 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 29 | 43 | -14 | 30 | 1.07 | 7th | DNQ | R1 | DNQ |  Alejandro Díaz |
10 | ||
| 2025 | CPL | 28 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 35 | 57 | -22 | 21 | 0.75 | 8th | DNQ | RU | DNQ |  Ndiaye Pathé Hugo Mbongue |
6 | ||
International competition
- Scores and results list Vancouver FC's goal tally first.
All-time top scorers
- As of October 19, 2025
| # | Name | Nation | Career at club | Goals | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPL | Cup | Int'l | Total | ||||
| 1 | Alejandro Díaz | Mexico |
2023–2025 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 14 |
| 2 | Gabriel Bitar | Lebanon |
2023–2024 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 3 | Nicolás Mezquida |  Uruguay |
2025–present | 5 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| 4 | Hugo Mbongue | Canada |
2025 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 5 | Shaan Hundal | Canada |
2023 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Ndiaye Pathé | Senegal |
2025 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 7 | Mikaël Cantave |  Haiti |
2023–2025 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Vasco Fry |  Peru |
2023–2025 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| Thierno Bah | Canada |
2024–present | 4 | 1 | 0 | 5 | |
Note: Bold indicates active player
Note: 4 Others tied at 4 goals
All-time top assists
- As of October 19, 2024
| # | Name | Nation | Career at club | Assists | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPL | Cup | Int'l | Total | ||||
| 1 | Gabriel Bitar | Lebanon |
2023–2024 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2 | Mikaël Cantave | Haiti |
2023–2025 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 3 | Paris Gee | Canada |
2024–present | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | Vasco Fry | Peru |
2023–2025 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Kadin Chung | Canada |
2023–2024 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| Gael Sandoval | Mexico |
2023 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 7 | Min-jae Kwak |  Republic of Korea |
2023 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Alejandro Díaz | Mexico |
2023–2025 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Grady McDonnell |  Ireland |
2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Austin Ricci | Canada |
2024 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
Note: Bold indicates active player
All-time most appearances
- As of October 19, 2025
| # | Name | Nation | Career at club | Games played | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPL | Cup | Int'l | Total | ||||
| 1 | Callum Irving | Canada |
2023–present | 83 | 8 | 0 | 91 |
| 2 | Vasco Fry | Peru |
2023–2025 | 56 | 7 | 0 | 63 |
| 3 | Alejandro Díaz | Mexico |
2023–2025 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 55 |
| 4 | Paris Gee | Canada |
2024–present | 49 | 5 | 0 | 54 |
| 5 | Gabriel Bitar | Lebanon |
2023–2024 | 51 | 2 | 0 | 53 |
| 6 | Rocco Romeo | Canada |
2023–2024 | 48 | 2 | 0 | 50 |
| Allan Enyou |  Uganda |
2024–2025 | 46 | 4 | 0 | 50 | |
| 8 | Thierno Bah | Canada |
2024–present | 41 | 6 | 0 | 47 |
| David Norman Jr. | Canada |
2024–2025 | 40 | 7 | 0 | 47 | |
| 10 | T.J. Tahid |  Ghana |
2023–2025 | 46 | 0 | 0 | 46 |
Note: Bold indicates active player
Awards
Canadian Premier League Awards
| Year | Name | Award | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | James Cameron | Best Canadian U-21 Player | Nominated[30] |