World Cup qualifying Group 3:Nigel Worthington will be asked next week to commit himself to the task of helping Northern Ireland qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The qualifying draw for the tournament saw Northern Ireland in Group 3 with the Czech Republic as well as Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and San Marino.

Irish Football Association chief executive Howard Wells said the draw could have been both tougher and easier, but the first task was to persuade Worthington to stay on.

Wells said: "We waited until the Euro 2008 games were out of the way and the draw for the World Cup and now we must crank up the process.

"I hope Nigel wants to carry on - I think he has done a sound job and we would be very pleased if he stays."

In terms of the group, Wells added: "It is a convenient draw in terms of geographical location and it is against some teams we have played in qualifiers before.

"There is no one in there that should intimidate us and it will be a very good opportunity to test our progress."

Striker Warren Feeney said: "The Czech Republic are a real force in the world and Poland are always round about, but we're full of confidence going into it."