Oct. 31 (Bloomberg) -- English soccer's governing body will receive $300 million for international broadcast rights to F.A. Cup and national team matches from 2008-12, almost four times the current income.

The range of deals will replace the current four-year contracts with broadcasters worth $80 million, the Football Association said in a statement. It will announce the successful bidders when the contracts are completed.

The agreement follows the announcement in March of a 425 million-pound ($880 million) four-year accord with ITV Plc and Setanta Sports for domestic rights for F.A. Cup and England games, up 42 percent from the previous deal.

``It means that the F.A. will be in its strongest-ever financial position, allowing us to substantially increase our investment back into all levels of the game,'' Chief Executive Brian Barwick said. ``The new deal also underlines the enormous popularity of the England team and F.A. Cup around the world.''

The financial boost would help the F.A. to cope if it misses out on merchandising and sponsorship revenue because England fails to qualify for next year's European Championship. This would be worth around 8 million pounds, according to U.K. media.

England may not even advance by winning its final qualifying game against Croatia on Nov. 21. Its opponent only needs to avoid defeat in one of its two games, and Russia would be guaranteed a spot with wins against Israel and Andorra.

The F.A. Cup, soccer's oldest knockout competition, is the traditional end to the English season. The F.A. said this year's final at the new 757 million-pound Wembley Stadium was the most- watched sporting event in England in 2007.

England's elite Premier League has also increased its broadcast revenue, with domestic rights almost doubling to 2.7 billion pounds over three years from this season. In January it said international agreements rose to 625 million pounds from 307 million pounds in the previous agreement.

To contact the reporter on this story: James Cone in London at jcone@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 31, 2007 12:01 EDT