Cartoon Vancouver Whitecaps soccer player standing next to a whiteboard displaying the “VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC” - representing a blog post about trademarks for the 2025 MLS Cup.

Trademark: Vancouver Whitecaps FC

First Used: 2011

Registered: 2013

Current Owner: MLS CANADA LP [1]

Trademark Type: traditional trademark; word mark; design mark

Primarily Associated With: entertainment services, namely, providing a series of live television programs, radio programs and webcasts in the field of soccer competitions [2]

Brief (and likely incomplete) History [3]:

Congratulations to Vancouver Whitecaps FC for advancing to the 2025 MLS Cup! Over the next few days we will be highlighting some trademark registrations celebrating the MLS championship, including those owned by Inter Miami CF and Vancouver.

The modern Vancouver Whitecaps FC team traces its roots to the 1970s and the original North American Soccer League (NASL). The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded in 1973, and the “Whitecaps” name came from team GM and former rugby star Denny Veitch, who was inspired while driving across the Lions Gate Bridge on a sunny afternoon. Looking down at the whitecaps on the ocean and up at the whitecaps on the mountains, he landed on a name that perfectly reflected the region. The team debuted in 1974, steadily built momentum, and delivered one of the great moments in Canadian sports history by winning the 1979 NASL Soccer Bowl. When the champions returned home, an estimated 100,000 fans lined Robson Street for a parade that still stands as the club’s most legendary celebration.

After the NASL folded in 1984, the franchise lived on as the Vancouver 86ers, a name chosen to honor several milestones tied to the number 86, and the team became a powerhouse by winning four straight Canadian Soccer League titles and setting a North American professional record with 46 consecutive matches without defeat. The Whitecaps name officially returned in 2000, and the club continued shaping its identity through new ownership, a growing youth development program, and memorable United Soccer League championships in 2006 and 2008.

Vancouver entered Major League Soccer in 2011 and immediately made history as the first Canadian club to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs, all while developing talents like Russell Teibert and a young Alphonso Davies, whose rise became one of the most celebrated success stories in MLS and Canadian soccer. Today the Whitecaps remain one of the longest-running professional soccer clubs in North America, carrying forward a tradition that stretches from the roar of 1970s NASL crowds to modern MLS nights at BC Place. Good luck Vancouver!

Unfortunately, and similar to Inter Miami CF, Vancouver has a SMALL trademark portfolio. By small, we mean two trademark registrations: the VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC® word mark and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC design mark. Both marks are registered with a wide range of goods and services including entertainment services, computer video game software, soccer balls, plush animals, and more.

Interested in learning more about trademarks from other 2025 sporting events? Check out our 2025 posts on College Football National Championship, Super Bowl, March Madness (and Final Four), Stanley Cup, NBA Championship, WNBA Championship, and World Series.