Bermuda will play Namibia on the eve of April's ICC World Cup Qualifying Tournament in South Africa, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

An International Cricket Council (ICC) spokesman has confirmed that the Island's senior national squad will come up against fellow ICC Associates Namibia just prior to taking on United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their opening World Cup qualifier at Potchefstroom University in Johannesburg.

The two teams met as recently as last September at the National Sports Centre (NSC) where the Namibians won by a comfortable 103 runs in a four-day Intercontinental Cup clash.

Though Bermuda went down heavily, they did show glimpses of promise as batsman Stephen Outerbridge stroked a polished 78 and fast bowler Stefan Kelly bagged four for 53 in the second innings.

The Islanders are currently in Grenada on the final leg of a whirlwind training exercise geared towards April's World Cup qualifiers on the African continent.

This year's World Cup qualifiers will see 12 teams divided into two groups of six teams.

Kenya, Netherlands, Bermuda, UAE, Denmark and Afghanistan form Group B while Namibia, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Oman and Uganda make up Group A.

Each team will play the other sides in their respective group once, with the eventual top four progressing to the Super Eight stage that commences on April 11.

The top four teams after the Super Eight stage earn 2011 World Cup qualification while the top six will be rewarded with ODI status until 2013 and qualification to the 2009-10 Intercontinental Cup.

The bottom two teams will be relegated to Division Three of the World Cricket League.

Bermuda made history in Ireland in July, 2005 when they became the smallest country to qualify for world cricket's premier showpiece.

Among the venues set to host April's World Cup qualifiers, that will see a total of 54 matches played over a 19-day period, are Willowmoore Park, Senwes Park and Centurion's SuperSport Park which all boast ODI accreditation.

"We know from experience that South Africa is a perfect place to host big multi-team tournaments such as this and I know the teams will have some of the best facilities at their disposal," commented ICC president David Morgan.

"It looks like it's going to be a great event. Many of the top Associates are very evenly matched and I am expecting some thrilling matches during the tournament."