diff --git a/roles/kubernetes/preinstall/tasks/0040-verify-settings.yml b/roles/kubernetes/preinstall/tasks/0040-verify-settings.yml
index 83d6fa963..67e907579 100644
--- a/roles/kubernetes/preinstall/tasks/0040-verify-settings.yml
+++ b/roles/kubernetes/preinstall/tasks/0040-verify-settings.yml
@@ -22,12 +22,11 @@
 
 - name: Stop if etcd group is empty in external etcd mode
   assert:
-    that: groups.get('etcd')
+    that: groups.get('etcd') or etcd_deployment_type == 'kubeadm'
     fail_msg: "Group 'etcd' cannot be empty in external etcd mode"
   run_once: true
   when:
     - not ignore_assert_errors
-    - etcd_deployment_type != "kubeadm"
 
 - name: Stop if non systemd OS type
   assert: