Al Jazeera, once known in the United States mostly for televising videos of Americans and others taken hostage in foreign countries, but now a serious presence as a worldwide network, is betting heavily on sports to win American viewers.

This month, an Al Jazeera subsidiary, beIN Sport, bought the rights to broadcast some of the United States national soccer team’s games as it seeks to qualify for the 2014 World Cup. BeIN Sport has also paid heavily to show in the United States some of Europe’s best soccer from Spain, Italy, France and England.

BeIN Sport’s bold entry into the American market befits its deep-pocketed owners, who appear committed to becoming a major player in soccer, the globe’s most popular sport. It could make an even bigger splash if it bids in the coming months for the rights to broadcast England’s Premier League in the United States, where the league has a growing and devoted following, as well as Major League Soccer, whose broadcast rights expire in 2014.

It is unclear whether the network’s buying spree is designed to make money, to raise its global brand or to perhaps provide leverage to get United States exposure for its news network. To date, Al Jazeera’s English-language news service has gained only a tiny foothold in the American market, but it could use its growing prominence in sports broadcasting to compel cable providers to carry its news programming.