The British Columbia Supreme Court has approved a settlement in a class-action lawsuit against Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Vancouver Whitecaps, which accused both parties of using “misleading promotional material” to sell tickets for a match against Inter Miami on May 25, 2024.
The lawsuit was initiated by lead plaintiff Ho Chun, who claimed that the league and the Whitecaps took advantage of fans’ anticipation that star players from Inter Miami CF—including Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba—would participate in the MLS match to drive ticket sales.
Shortly before the match, Whitecaps CEO Axel Schuster announced that Messi, Suárez, and Busquets would not be making the trip to Canada since former head coach Gerardo Martino opted to rest the players due to a congested schedule.
With over 50,000 fans anticipated at the game, the Whitecaps offered a 50% discount on food and drinks in the stadium to ease frustrations.
MLS and the Vancouver Whitecaps have denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the claim lacks merit. Nevertheless, the parties began negotiations in May 2025 to prevent further legal disputes.
This week, the court mandated the defendants to pay a total of CAD 450,000 (approximately USD 329,000) to resolve the lawsuit. Per court documents, the settlement funds—after deducting any costs associated with legal representation—will be divided equally among three beneficiaries: (i) KidSport BC (the British Columbia chapter of Kidsport Canada); (ii) Canada SCORES (the Vancouver General Fund); and (iii) BGC South Coast BC, as recipients of the cy pres award.
“Vancouver Whitecaps FC confirms that the settlement regarding the class action lawsuit related to the club’s May 25, 2024, match against Inter Miami CF has been approved by the British Columbia Supreme Court,” the club stated in an announcement to ESPN. “The settlement will be executed in accordance with the terms of the agreement.”
As part of the settlement, the Whitecaps are required to update their ticketing policies to include a disclaimer stating: “Ticketholder acknowledges that team rosters and player lineups can change at any time before or during the Event, and that Whitecaps FC makes no representations or guarantees about the participation or performance of any player, explicitly stated or implied, including in any promotional materials related to the Event.”
ESPN has also reached out to MLS for their comments on this matter.