Italian men's top-tier soccer league, Serie A, is set to expand its international presence and appeal. The league has enlisted the services of international bank JP Morgan as an advisor for this ambitious project.
JP Morgan and the 20-team Serie A will initially focus on negotiating international media rights deals, according to reports from Milano Finanza Italian publication. This move comes at a time when Serie A, along with several other European soccer leagues (excluding England's Premier League), is striving to maintain its share of broadcasters' fees amidst financial challenges.
The ultimate goal is for Serie A to regain some ground it has lost against the Premier League and Spain's LaLiga in terms of overseas media rights income. Reports suggest that the initial target is for Serie A to stabilize its overseas media rights revenues at current levels between €240 million ($281.6 million) and €250 million annually.
Promoting global presence through overseas matches
In an effort to promote itself globally, Serie A plans to stage a match between heavyweights AC Milan and Como overseas early next year. In mid-July, Italy’s FIGC governing body approved a request for AC Milan to play their home match against Como in Perth, Australia. This fixture forms part of the top-tier Serie A 2025-26 season but clashes with Northern Italy hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics.
However, this relocation still requires approval from several other soccer governing bodies including Football Australia and world governing body FIFA as well as continental governing bodies UEFA (Europe) and AFC (Asia).
Serie A isn't alone in seeking new horizons; Spanish clubs Villareal and Barcelona have proposed staging a regular-season LaLiga match in Miami later this year - a proposal which Spanish soccer's RFEF has approved.
Serie A's APAC presence
Serie A has already made significant strides in the Asia-Pacific region. Last season, Serie A matches were broadcast live in Australia by international sports broadcaster BeIN. Moreover, Italian top-tier men's soccer has previously staged official matches overseas, having secured a lucrative contract with Saudi Arabia to host its Supercoppa Italiana in Riyadh for the last three seasons.
With JP Morgan on board and a clear strategy for international expansion and growth, Serie A is poised to enhance its global appeal and presence significantly. This move could potentially lead to increased revenues from overseas media rights deals and further opportunities for staging matches abroad.
