The international sports media agency announced the deal on Wednesday, just hours before activating the agreement with Italy’s clash at home to Spain – a game that paired the last two winners of the FIFA World Cup. Alberto Aquilani's deflected late effort secured a 2-1 win for Italy. MP & Silva will also distribute Italy’s upcoming matches against Slovenia on September 6 and Northern Ireland on October 11.

“We are delighted to have added the rights for Italy’s crucial matches over the next three years to our global portfolio,” said MP & Silva’s chief executive officer, Andrea Radrizzani. “This agreements further cements our position as the leading agency in distributing football rights into Asia and we believe that, with this deal, we can enhance the positioning of the Italian national team and further increase Italian football’s overall fan base across the region.”

MP & Silva acquired the package of rights from Rai and will distribute the matches in Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Japan, Laos, Macau and Malaysia. Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Pakistan, South and North Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam are also covered by the terms of the deal.