Opened on June 19, 1983, BC Place was originally an indoor structure with an air-supported roof, the world's largest at the time.

[9] Its original air-supported design was similar to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which later stored pieces of the roof for reuse.

[6][7] The first major event held in the stadium came the next day, June 20, when the Vancouver Whitecaps hosted the Seattle Sounders in a Monday night North American Soccer League (NASL) game with attendance announced at 60,342.

The Pope's Celebration of Life was followed a few months later by the Billy Graham Crusade, which drew similar numbers[citation needed] for eight nights.

Accepting an invitation by the Province of British Columbia, Prince Charles and Princess Diana presided over the opening ceremonies of the World's Fair on May 2, 1986.

[citation needed] The stadium also hosted a National Football League exhibition game in 1998 when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Seattle Seahawks 24–21 in the American Bowl with 45,000 in attendance.

[20][21] The tear grew quickly as air escaped through it, whereupon maintenance staff performed an intentional, controlled deflation to protect the integrity of the roof's intact fabric panels.

An independent report indicated that an accidental rapid pressurization combined with lightly gusting wind and a location of previously undetected damage caused the tear.

The first phase involved upgrades to seating, washrooms, concessions, and luxury suites, as well as the reinforcement of the existing ring beam at the top of the building[30] and was completed in October 2009, in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

[36] Columnist Brian Hutchinson has praised the renovations for significantly improving the acoustics, and providing a bright and airy feel to the stadium.

[34] The artificial turf installed between September 2011 and April 2015 drew criticism, notably its lacklustre characteristics for playing professional level soccer.

[56] The Canada women's national team played Australia at BC Place on December 5, 2023, as part of a farewell tour for Christine Sinclair.

The original Vancouver Whitecaps of the North American Soccer League (NASL) played at the stadium from 1983 to 1984, when the team folded.

[64] The team hosted the first sporting event at BC Place, a regular season match against the Seattle Sounders on June 20, 1983, which drew 60,342 spectators.

The second incarnation of the Whitecaps, initially named the Vancouver 86ers, played exhibition matches at BC Place in 1991 and 1992 before returning for regular season games in 1995 during renovations to Swangard Stadium.

[66] On November 7, 2007, the Whitecaps hosted the LA Galaxy for an exhibition match that drew 48,172 spectators—mainly attracted by the appearance of David Beckham.

After the Whitecaps joined MLS and moved into the renovated BC Place, the team only sold seats in the lower bowl.

[68] The team set their new MLS attendance record on May 25, 2024, with 51,035 spectators during a regular season match against Inter Miami CF who had signed soccer legend Lionel Messi the year prior.

[69] BC Place will host seven matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup as one of two Canadian venues alongside BMO Field in Toronto.

[73] The Mariners explored plans to play regular season games at BC Place in the mid-1990s,[74] but were unable to receive approval from MLB.