Friendship Four 2024

Founded by The Odyssey Trust and held in Belfast since 2015, the Friendship Four is the first and only National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division One men’s ice hockey tournament to take place outside of North America, with 24 games played across six tournaments to date.

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.

For local ice hockey and sports fans alike, the unique tournament provides a rare opportunity to see four top U.S. college teams go head-to-head at the home of the Belfast Giants. 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, which is sure to impress and entertain local spectators.

Historically, the tournament has also proven to be a strong scouting opportunity for the Stena Line Belfast Giants. Current members of the 2024/25 roster, Jeff Baum, Scott Conway, and Bobo Carpenter first took to the ice at The SSE Arena during the Friendship Four tournament before beginning their professional ice hockey careers.

Friday 29 November

Boston University vs Merrimack College (2PM)

The University of Notre Dame vs Harvard University (7PM)

Saturday 30 November

Third Place Game (3PM)

Championship Game (7PM)

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