Return of the WWC love triangle: Ireland star set to face BOTH of them this week

Three women's football players are set for a frosty reunion later this week after a shock World Cup handshake snub led to speculation over a potential love triangle.

The trio, Ruesha Littlejohn, Caitlin Foord and Katie McCabe, may be involved when Arsenal Women face London City in the FA WSL Cup on Wednesday evening.

During the Republic of Ireland's group stage campaign at last year's tournament, Irish striker Littlejohn had courted controversy after refusing to shake the hand of Australia's Foord before the Matildas beat their opponents 1-0.

Video footage showing Littlejohn seemingly purposefully skipping over Foord in the traditional pre-match handshakes quickly circulated on social media, with some suggesting the spat may have been related to the players' private lives.

Foord is a close friend of Littlejohn's ex-girlfriend, Arsenal team-mate McCabe, and the pair previously holidayed together and posed for pictures at a sunny resort.

Tensions after the match then reached boiling point after Littlejohn appeared to make an approach toward Foord before being held back by her team-mates.

Wild but unfounded rumours that Littlejohn's unusual behaviour was linked to her split from long-time partner McCabe later spread across social media.

The power couple are thought to have separated after spending over seven years together, with McCabe confirming the break-up days before the World Cup.

Foord and McCabe remain on the books at Arsenal and holidayed in Ibiza alongside fellow footballers, including Aston Villa's Jordan Nobbs, last June.

At the time, a source told Daily Mail Australia: 'Clearly there is still some tension surrounding Littlejohn's side of things which looked like it spilled over a bit.

'Caitlin and Katie are great friends. They play together for Arsenal. They spend a lot of time together. But there's nothing more to it than that.'

Indeed, Matildas insiders told Daily Mail Australia that Foord and McCabe are good friends and that their friendship had no bearing on McCabe's split with Littlejohn.

Littlejohn and McCabe began dating around 2016, with their first date taking place in St Albans. They went public with their relationship three years later.

'It started with football. She's a few years older than me,' McCabe told Evoke.ie.

'I got to know her through football first and we became good friends. We began spending a lot more time together off the pitch and it kicked off from there.'

McCabe said that their shared love of football brought them together.

'We're both passionate about it, obviously our drive is to win trophies and qualify for championships with the Republic of Ireland,' she added. 'We're both very driven.

'Don't get me wrong, we've clashed heads a few times over certain games and training sessions but that's part and parcel of the game. We're very professional when we are playing football, that's our main focus.

'We can relax then when we get back home.'

Foord previously declined to comment on the spat and there is no suggestion she was involved in the breakdown of Littlejohn and McCabe's relationship.