ESPN has been awarded two packages of rights containing a total of 46 matches available for season 2009/10.
The move extends ESPN's football offering that began with the acquisition of the UK Premier League broadcast rights following the collapse of pay-TV broadcaster Setanta last month.
The other four packages for season 2009/10, containing 92 matches, remain under contract with BSkyB.
Yesterday, ESPN announced it will be launching a new channel called ESPN in the UK on 3 August, available through Sky, which will carry the matches, alongside coverage of other international and American sports.
A spokesman for ESPN said the broadcaster was currently speaking to pay-TV platforms in Ireland "to make these as widely available as possible" and hopes to announce details of new partnerships shortly.
Today's acquisition was announced by Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore, who said he had "great confidence" in ESPN's ability to provide football fans with "first-rate coverage and programming".
The auction for Premier League broadcast rights in the Republic of Ireland for live Saturday 3pm fixtures for seasons 2010/11 to 2012/13 will start later in the year.
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