TV3 has secured the rights to Ireland's away matches in the qualifying rounds of the European Championship. The television station, due to go on air in September, has signed a deal that will give it access to all Group Eight games, except three of Ireland's home matches.

The deal means the new channel will be able to offer 15 games, which include Yugoslavia and Croatia's matches.

Along with the qualifying matches for Europe 2000 the station has also acquired the right to first refusal on the qualifying rounds of the Champions League as well as high-profile matches up to and including the semi-final stage in the UEFA Cup and the Cup Winners' Cup.

The deal has been completed in principle with UFA Sports, one of Europe's major sports rights companies. It was signed late yesterday.

This deal is the first indication that TV3 will be a significant player in acquiring sports rights. Yesterday no details on how much the station had paid were available.

TV3 is 45 per cent owned by the Canadian television company, CanWest, and an Irish consortium and is chaired by James Morris of Windmill Studios. The company said it would not be seeking to purchase major sporting rights because of the increasing cost of such rights.