The B.C. Lions have played at the same home stadium for more than 40 years.
While they were temporarily booted from BC Place in 2010 and 2011 during renovations, the Lions have called the dome home since 1983.
Well, with the FIFA World Cup on the horizon next year, the Lions will vacate BC Place for the early portion of next season.
The club announced on Friday night that it will play at two different venues within the province to begin next season.
For the first time, the Lions will play two games at the Apple Bowl in Kelowna. According to the Lions, the venue will have a temporarily increased capacity of 17,500 seats in order to host fans.
This will be quite a capacity increase for the Apple Bowl, which has seats for 2,254 people, according to Tourism Kelowna. However, the venue has hosted Canadian Premier League soccer games with over 6,000 people in attendance.
“The Lions are truly British Columbia’s team,” Lions president Duane Vienneau said in a press release. “It’s an exciting time for our franchise to bring two games to Kelowna for our great fans in the Okanagan.”
KELOWNA, get ready! 🏈 We’re bringing two CFL regular-season games to the Apple Bowl in Summer 2026. With an expanded stadium, a full football festival, and thousands of fans from across the country, this will be the ultimate Okanagan football celebration. Who’s ready to ROAR… pic.twitter.com/aTODXoDbmm — BC LIONS (@BCLions) September 27, 2025
Dates and opponents have yet to be decided.
The Lions also revealed that they will return to Langford, B.C. on Vancouver Island to play an exhibition game for the third year in a row at Starlight Stadium.
For the past two years, these exhibition games have been held in May, which falls before the FIFA World Cup.
However, FIFA rules dictate that they get to take over the stadium 30 days ahead of the first match. The first FIFA World Cup match at BC Place is on June 13, 2026.
For now, BC Place firmly belongs to the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Lions. Recently, the Lions have given fans a reason to cheer at BC Place.
They defeated the Toronto Argonauts 27-22 in a tight game on Friday night at the dome. That extended their winning streak to three games, and they’re 5-2 in their last seven contests.
MATHIEU BETTS STRIKES AGAIN! The CFL leader in sacks gets his third of the night and forces a turnover! #CFLGameday
📅: Argonauts vs. @BCLions LIVE NOW
🇨🇦: TSN
🌎: CFL+ pic.twitter.com/QtYxosYF4F — CFL (@CFL) September 27, 2025
In what seemed like an impossible task three weeks ago, the Lions now have a chance to host a home playoff game at BC Place. Their three straight victories have pushed them to 8-7 overall. Meanwhile, in Alberta, the second-place Calgary Stampeders have lost three straight games, dropping them to 8-6.
The Lions will host the Stampeders next Saturday, Oct. 4, at BC Place.
[SRC] https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/bc-lions-reveal-locations-home-games-fifa-world-cup
