diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/injected/injectedScript.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/injected/injectedScript.ts
index 2ae2f3970e20a..70374852f7ffc 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/injected/injectedScript.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/injected/injectedScript.ts
@@ -1423,7 +1423,6 @@ export class InjectedScript {
       } else if (expression === 'to.have.title') {
         received = this.document.title;
       } else if (expression === 'to.have.url') {
-        // Note: this is used by all language ports except for javascript.
         received = this.document.location.href;
       } else if (expression === 'to.have.value') {
         element = this.retarget(element, 'follow-label')!;
diff --git a/packages/playwright/src/matchers/matchers.ts b/packages/playwright/src/matchers/matchers.ts
index d37e3285f455e..2992a41918c2a 100644
--- a/packages/playwright/src/matchers/matchers.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright/src/matchers/matchers.ts
@@ -14,13 +14,13 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { isRegExp, isString, isTextualMimeType, pollAgainstDeadline, serializeExpectedTextValues } from 'playwright-core/lib/utils';
+import { constructURLBasedOnBaseURL, isRegExp, isString, isTextualMimeType, pollAgainstDeadline, serializeExpectedTextValues } from 'playwright-core/lib/utils';
 import { colors } from 'playwright-core/lib/utils';
 
 import { callLogText, expectTypes } from '../util';
 import { toBeTruthy } from './toBeTruthy';
 import { toEqual } from './toEqual';
-import { toHaveURL as toHaveURLExternal } from './toHaveURL';
+import { toHaveURLWithPredicate } from './toHaveURL';
 import { toMatchText } from './toMatchText';
 import { takeFirst } from '../common/config';
 import { currentTestInfo } from '../common/globals';
@@ -391,7 +391,17 @@ export function toHaveURL(
   expected: string | RegExp | ((url: URL) => boolean),
   options?: { ignoreCase?: boolean; timeout?: number },
 ) {
-  return toHaveURLExternal.call(this, page, expected, options);
+  // Ports don't support predicates. Keep separate server and client codepaths
+  if (typeof expected === 'function')
+    return toHaveURLWithPredicate.call(this, page, expected, options);
+
+  const baseURL = (page.context() as any)._options.baseURL;
+  expected = typeof expected === 'string' ? constructURLBasedOnBaseURL(baseURL, expected) : expected;
+  const locator = page.locator(':root') as LocatorEx;
+  return toMatchText.call(this, 'toHaveURL', locator, 'Locator', async (isNot, timeout) => {
+    const expectedText = serializeExpectedTextValues([expected], { ignoreCase: options?.ignoreCase });
+    return await locator._expect('to.have.url', { expectedText, isNot, timeout });
+  }, expected, options);
 }
 
 export async function toBeOK(
diff --git a/packages/playwright/src/matchers/toHaveURL.ts b/packages/playwright/src/matchers/toHaveURL.ts
index efc0ebd5f2fce..34f05fac33be2 100644
--- a/packages/playwright/src/matchers/toHaveURL.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright/src/matchers/toHaveURL.ts
@@ -14,10 +14,10 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  */
 
-import { constructURLBasedOnBaseURL, urlMatches } from 'playwright-core/lib/utils';
+import { urlMatches } from 'playwright-core/lib/utils';
 import { colors } from 'playwright-core/lib/utils';
 
-import { printReceivedStringContainExpectedResult, printReceivedStringContainExpectedSubstring } from './expect';
+import { printReceivedStringContainExpectedResult } from './expect';
 import {  matcherHint } from './matcherHint';
 import { EXPECTED_COLOR, printReceived } from '../common/expectBundle';
 
@@ -25,10 +25,10 @@ import type { MatcherResult } from './matcherHint';
 import type { ExpectMatcherState } from '../../types/test';
 import type { Page } from 'playwright-core';
 
-export async function toHaveURL(
+export async function toHaveURLWithPredicate(
   this: ExpectMatcherState,
   page: Page,
-  expected: string | RegExp | ((url: URL) => boolean),
+  expected: (url: URL) => boolean,
   options?: { ignoreCase?: boolean; timeout?: number },
 ): Promise<MatcherResult<string | RegExp, string>> {
   const matcherName = 'toHaveURL';
@@ -38,11 +38,7 @@ export async function toHaveURL(
     promise: this.promise,
   };
 
-  if (
-    !(typeof expected === 'string') &&
-    !(expected && 'test' in expected && typeof expected.test === 'function') &&
-    !(typeof expected === 'function')
-  ) {
+  if (typeof expected !== 'function') {
     throw new Error(
         [
           // Always display `expected` in expectation place
@@ -68,9 +64,7 @@ export async function toHaveURL(
               urlMatches(
                   baseURL?.toLocaleLowerCase(),
                   lastCheckedURLString.toLocaleLowerCase(),
-                  typeof expected === 'string'
-                    ? expected.toLocaleLowerCase()
-                    : expected,
+                  expected,
               )
             );
           }
@@ -98,9 +92,7 @@ export async function toHaveURL(
           this,
           matcherName,
           expression,
-          typeof expected === 'string'
-            ? constructURLBasedOnBaseURL(baseURL, expected)
-            : expected,
+          expected,
           lastCheckedURLString,
           this.isNot,
           true,
@@ -115,7 +107,7 @@ function toHaveURLMessage(
   state: ExpectMatcherState,
   matcherName: string,
   expression: string,
-  expected: string | RegExp | Function,
+  expected: Function,
   received: string | undefined,
   pass: boolean,
   didTimeout: boolean,
@@ -136,15 +128,9 @@ function toHaveURLMessage(
     printedReceived = `Received string: ${printReceived(receivedString)}`;
   } else {
     if (pass) {
-      if (typeof expected === 'string') {
-        printedExpected = `Expected string: not ${state.utils.printExpected(expected)}`;
-        const formattedReceived = printReceivedStringContainExpectedSubstring(receivedString, receivedString.indexOf(expected), expected.length);
-        printedReceived = `Received string: ${formattedReceived}`;
-      } else {
-        printedExpected = `Expected pattern: not ${state.utils.printExpected(expected)}`;
-        const formattedReceived = printReceivedStringContainExpectedResult(receivedString, typeof expected.exec === 'function' ? expected.exec(receivedString) : null);
-        printedReceived = `Received string: ${formattedReceived}`;
-      }
+      printedExpected = `Expected pattern: not ${state.utils.printExpected(expected)}`;
+      const formattedReceived = printReceivedStringContainExpectedResult(receivedString, null);
+      printedReceived = `Received string: ${formattedReceived}`;
     } else {
       const labelExpected = `Expected ${typeof expected === 'string' ? 'string' : 'pattern'}`;
       printedDiff = state.utils.printDiffOrStringify(expected, receivedString, labelExpected, 'Received string', false);
diff --git a/tests/page/expect-misc.spec.ts b/tests/page/expect-misc.spec.ts
index aca3c6d3dd628..f54c8271c36e5 100644
--- a/tests/page/expect-misc.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/page/expect-misc.spec.ts
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ test.describe('toHaveURL', () => {
   test('fail string', async ({ page }) => {
     await page.goto('data:text/html,<div>A</div>');
     const error = await expect(page).toHaveURL('wrong', { timeout: 1000 }).catch(e => e);
-    expect(stripVTControlCharacters(error.message)).toContain('Timed out 1000ms waiting for expect(page).toHaveURL(expected)');
+    expect(stripVTControlCharacters(error.message)).toContain('Timed out 1000ms waiting for expect(locator).toHaveURL(expected)');
     expect(stripVTControlCharacters(error.message)).toContain('Expected string: "wrong"\nReceived string: "data:text/html,<div>A</div>"');
   });
 
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ test.describe('toHaveURL', () => {
     await page.goto('data:text/html,<div>A</div>');
     // @ts-expect-error
     const error = await expect(page).toHaveURL({}).catch(e => e);
-    expect(stripVTControlCharacters(error.message)).toContain('expect(page).toHaveURL(expected)\n\n\n\nMatcher error: expected value must be a string, regular expression, or predicate');
+    expect(stripVTControlCharacters(error.message)).toContain(`expect(locator(':root')).toHaveURL([object Object])`);
     expect(stripVTControlCharacters(error.message)).toContain('Expected has type:  object\nExpected has value: {}');
   });
 
diff --git a/tests/playwright-test/expect.spec.ts b/tests/playwright-test/expect.spec.ts
index 9e47f5282f27b..2563e97b4ae75 100644
--- a/tests/playwright-test/expect.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/playwright-test/expect.spec.ts
@@ -548,7 +548,7 @@ test('should respect expect.timeout', async ({ runInlineTest }) => {
       test('timeout', async ({ page }) => {
         await page.goto('data:text/html,<div>A</div>');
         const error = await expect(page).toHaveURL('data:text/html,<div>B</div>').catch(e => e);
-        expect(stripVTControlCharacters(error.message)).toContain('Timed out 1000ms waiting for expect(page).toHaveURL(expected)');
+        expect(stripVTControlCharacters(error.message)).toContain('Timed out 1000ms waiting for expect(locator).toHaveURL(expected)');
         expect(error.message).toContain('data:text/html,<div>');
       });
       `,
@@ -566,7 +566,7 @@ test('should support toHaveURL predicate', async ({ runInlineTest }) => {
 
       test('predicate', async ({ page }) => {
         await page.goto('data:text/html,<div>A</div>');
-        const error = await expect(page).toHaveURL('data:text/html,<div>B</div>').catch(e => e);
+        const error = await expect(page).toHaveURL(url => url === 'data:text/html,<div>B</div>').catch(e => e);
         expect(stripVTControlCharacters(error.message)).toContain('Timed out 1000ms waiting for expect(page).toHaveURL(expected)');
         expect(error.message).toContain('data:text/html,<div>');
       });