See ice hockey magic at the Friendship Four in Belfast
The only NCAA Division 1 men’s ice hockey tournament to take place outside of North America, the Friendship Four is back in Belfast this November.
Belpot Trophy
Founded by The Odyssey Trust and held in Belfast since 2015, the Friendship Four sees four top National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 men’s ice hockey teams battle it out to win the Belpot Trophy.
This year, the University of Notre Dame, Harvard University, Boston University, and Merrimack College will compete for the cup at The SSE Arena, Belfast on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 November, coinciding with the Thanksgiving weekend festivities.
For ice hockey and sports fans alike, the unique tournament provides a rare opportunity to see four top US college teams go head-to-head at the home of the Belfast Giants, Belfast’s highly successful ice hockey team.
With a reputation for providing a pipeline of top talent into the National Hockey League (NHL), and other top teams around the world, NCAA ice hockey is known and loved for its high energy and fast pace.
Belfast SSE Arena ice hockey stadium
The high-profile, four-game ice hockey tournament is designed to promote education, social welfare, and community interaction, building on the Sister City agreement between Belfast and Boston, which was signed a decade ago. The Sister Cities agreement aims to foster stronger economic development, trade and investment, tourism, youth, cultural, faith-based exchanges, and educational linkages between the two cities, as well as increased awareness of Belfast and Boston being high-growth cities in the connected health and life sciences, creative industries, tourism, financial services, and knowledge economy sectors.
The Friendship Four experience also offers the North American student-athletes the opportunity to visit Northern Irish landmarks, including the Giants Causeway, and to visit local schools.
Earlier this year, the two-game women’s ice hockey Friendship Series saw Princeton University win over Providence College in Belfast. It has been announced that in January 2026, for the first time, four women’s teams will take part in the Friendship Series in Belfast.
Quinnipiac lifts the Belpot trophy
Robert Fitzpatrick, Chief Executive Officer of The Odyssey Trust, said: “For nearly 10 years, the Friendship Four has been underpinned by a desire to provide unique and memorable experiences for North American student-athletes, both on and off the ice, and to offer them not just the opportunity to play ice hockey but to have a rounded, cultural experience right here in Belfast.”
Individual tickets and weekend passes for the Friendship Four games are on sale now.