Serie A, the organising body for top-flight Italian soccer, has opened an office in the US to bolster its search for media rights opportunities across the Atlantic.

The move, which marks Serie A’s first international expansion, has been confirmed by the body’s managing director Luigi De Siervo, who said the decision will help to broaden the league's reach to North American audiences.

Speaking to RadioSOI Sport, he said: “The US will be the theater of football in the coming years because it will host the final phase of the men's and women's World Cups. We are looking for new audiences.

“We want to add value to the sporting event, making the virtual stadium, that is, the TV, as beautiful as the physical one. We are trying to intercept pieces of a large market.”

The decision to open an office overseas, coincides with the restructure of Serie A’s operations in Milan, orchestrated by Fabio Santoro, the league’s marketing and audiovisual rights director.

The organising body is also finalising extended talks with Spanish rights agency over a potential domestic rights deal for the distribution top-flight Italian soccer, including the possibility for the creation of a league-owned TV network.

In addition to its steps to grow the US market, the organisation has also hired a new head of media, Maria Solbiati, a former member of the media rights acquisitions team at the domestic pay-TV broadcaster Sky Italia, who will assume domestic media rights responsibilities.