The Hockeyroos will meet Japan in a must-win quarter-final on Friday after Argentina bumped them from the top of their Champions Trophy pool.
Australia finished second with seven points in Pool B having ceded a goal to Germany in Tuesday's 3-1 victory.
They had been tracking in the top spot after scores from Georgia Nanscawen, Jodie Kenny and Emily Smith, but were pipped by Argentina after the South Americans pulled off a 4-1 win over England.
Meanwhile, Japan came third in Pool A behind New Zealand and the Netherlands.
Friday's quarter-final will be the ninth time the two sides have played this year, including a five-Test series in March and a closely fought 3-2 World Cup stoush.
Australia will feel confident however, having won all those matches.
Hockeyroos coach Adam Commens admitted the format, which allows the eight participating teams to progress to the quarter-finals, was an unusual one and didn't give great advantage to teams who performed well in the group stages.
"I'm not a huge supporter of the quarter-finals in an eight team tournament," he said.
"Teams that play well in the rounds are not rewarded with the one-off nature of the match.
"But we've set ourselves up in a good position to top the pool.
"It could come down to goal difference, which is why I was disappointed with losing the goal in the last five minutes.
"We took our foot off the throttle and let Germany have opportunities. That's not what we're about, it doesn't fit with our values."
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