diff --git a/api/server/router/container/container.go b/api/server/router/container/container.go
index 401be4a3fb..df68fcb791 100644
--- a/api/server/router/container/container.go
+++ b/api/server/router/container/container.go
@@ -10,13 +10,15 @@ type containerRouter struct {
 	backend Backend
 	decoder httputils.ContainerDecoder
 	routes  []router.Route
+	cgroup2 bool
 }
 
 // NewRouter initializes a new container router
-func NewRouter(b Backend, decoder httputils.ContainerDecoder) router.Router {
+func NewRouter(b Backend, decoder httputils.ContainerDecoder, cgroup2 bool) router.Router {
 	r := &containerRouter{
 		backend: b,
 		decoder: decoder,
+		cgroup2: cgroup2,
 	}
 	r.initRoutes()
 	return r
diff --git a/api/server/router/container/container_routes.go b/api/server/router/container/container_routes.go
index 5001bc0509..641537dfd7 100644
--- a/api/server/router/container/container_routes.go
+++ b/api/server/router/container/container_routes.go
@@ -494,8 +494,8 @@ func (s *containerRouter) postContainersCreate(ctx context.Context, w http.Respo
 			hostConfig.IpcMode = container.IpcMode("shareable")
 		}
 	}
-	if hostConfig != nil && versions.LessThan(version, "1.41") {
-		// Older clients expect the default to be "host"
+	if hostConfig != nil && versions.LessThan(version, "1.41") && !s.cgroup2 {
+		// Older clients expect the default to be "host" on cgroup v1 hosts
 		if hostConfig.CgroupnsMode.IsEmpty() {
 			hostConfig.CgroupnsMode = container.CgroupnsMode("host")
 		}
diff --git a/cmd/dockerd/daemon.go b/cmd/dockerd/daemon.go
index 275d9a7262..96c31943fa 100644
--- a/cmd/dockerd/daemon.go
+++ b/cmd/dockerd/daemon.go
@@ -477,7 +477,7 @@ func initRouter(opts routerOptions) {
 	routers := []router.Router{
 		// we need to add the checkpoint router before the container router or the DELETE gets masked
 		checkpointrouter.NewRouter(opts.daemon, decoder),
-		container.NewRouter(opts.daemon, decoder),
+		container.NewRouter(opts.daemon, decoder, opts.daemon.RawSysInfo(true).CgroupUnified),
 		image.NewRouter(opts.daemon.ImageService()),
 		systemrouter.NewRouter(opts.daemon, opts.cluster, opts.buildkit, opts.features),
 		volume.NewRouter(opts.daemon.VolumesService()),