diff --git a/x-pack/test/alerting_api_integration/security_and_spaces/group1/tests/alerting/backfill/api_key.ts b/x-pack/test/alerting_api_integration/security_and_spaces/group1/tests/alerting/backfill/api_key.ts
index 46a92d176bab0..9aea20f42e5f9 100644
--- a/x-pack/test/alerting_api_integration/security_and_spaces/group1/tests/alerting/backfill/api_key.ts
+++ b/x-pack/test/alerting_api_integration/security_and_spaces/group1/tests/alerting/backfill/api_key.ts
@@ -252,6 +252,13 @@ export default function apiKeyBackfillTests({ getService }: FtrProviderContext)
         expect(e?.event?.outcome).to.eql('success');
       }
 
+      // wait for all the api_key_pending_invalidation SOs to be deleted
+      await retry.try(async () => {
+        const results = await getApiKeysPendingInvalidation();
+        expect(results.length).to.eql(0);
+        return results;
+      });
+
       // invoke the invalidate task
       await runInvalidateTask();