IRELAND'S two teams look destined to be kept apart in next week's World Cup play-offs draw.
Both the Republic and Northern Ireland will most likely be unseeded when eight names go into the hat next week, meaning they can't be paired together.
The last time the two sides clashed competitively was in a European championship qualifier in March 1995, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Up to 1.1 million people tuned in on Monday to watch Martin O'Neill's Republic side overcome Wales by a single goal, 24 hours after Michael O'Neill's Northern Ireland confirmed a play-off place despite defeat to Norway.
The draw is made up of the eight best runners-up from the European World Cup qualifying groups.
The play-offs, which will involve home and away legs, which take place on November 9-11 and November 12-14 with the four winners going through to the finals.
If revised world rankings put both Irish sides in the unseeded side of the draw, as expected, they could face difficult ties against Italy, Croatia, Denmark or Switzerland.
The all-important Fifa rankings are due to be released next Monday, with Northern Ireland currently sitting in 20th position in the world and the Republic 34th.
Martin O’Neill will be hoping this play-off is kinder to his side than in 2009 when French striker Thierry Henry’s controversial handball helped his side to victory.
Although the team has won two play-offs since then to reach the European championship finals, it has not taken part in a World Cup since Japan and South Korea in 2002.
Michael O’Neill is meanwhile hoping Northern Ireland will built on qualification for last summer's Euros by winning a place at the World Cup for the first time since 1986.
