Sydney  - Australia learned Thursday that they must wait three months before confirming a place in next year's World Cup after Bahrain beat Qatar 1-0 in Manama.

The win put Bahrain third in Asian Group 1 behind Australia and Japan. If Bahrain win their last two matches and Australia lose their final three, Australia's entry would not be a certainty.

Australia top the pool on 13 points, Japan are second with 11, and Bahrain are now third with seven points. Uzbekistan and Qatar are on four points and cannot qualify.

Australia's next match is against Qatar on June 6 in Doha, followed by Bahrain four days later at home.

Australia has neither lost a game nor conceded a goal in its World Cup campaign.

Because Australia beat Uzbekistan 2-0 Wednesday at home, a draw between Bahrain and Qatar would have made Australia the first team to qualify for South Africa's World Cup. (dpa)