diff --git a/instrumentation/play/play-2.6/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/play/v2_6/ActionInstrumentation.java b/instrumentation/play/play-2.6/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/play/v2_6/ActionInstrumentation.java
index c16b1583031d..6d68eb947220 100644
--- a/instrumentation/play/play-2.6/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/play/v2_6/ActionInstrumentation.java
+++ b/instrumentation/play/play-2.6/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/play/v2_6/ActionInstrumentation.java
@@ -73,10 +73,13 @@ public static void stopTraceOnResponse(
       tracer().updateSpanName(ServerSpan.fromContextOrNull(context), req);
 
       scope.close();
-      // span finished in RequestCompleteCallback
       if (throwable == null) {
-        responseFuture.onComplete(
-            new RequestCompleteCallback(context), ((Action<?>) thisAction).executionContext());
+        // span is finished when future completes
+        // not using responseFuture.onComplete() because that doesn't guarantee this handler span
+        // will be completed before the server span completes
+        responseFuture =
+            ResponseFutureWrapper.wrap(
+                responseFuture, context, ((Action<?>) thisAction).executionContext());
       } else {
         tracer().endExceptionally(context, throwable);
       }
diff --git a/instrumentation/play/play-2.6/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/play/v2_6/RequestCompleteCallback.java b/instrumentation/play/play-2.6/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/play/v2_6/RequestCompleteCallback.java
deleted file mode 100644
index c30a1b6e03d2..000000000000
--- a/instrumentation/play/play-2.6/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/play/v2_6/RequestCompleteCallback.java
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,40 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
- * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
- */
-
-package io.opentelemetry.javaagent.instrumentation.play.v2_6;
-
-import static io.opentelemetry.javaagent.instrumentation.play.v2_6.PlayTracer.tracer;
-
-import io.opentelemetry.context.Context;
-import org.slf4j.Logger;
-import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
-import play.api.mvc.Result;
-import scala.runtime.AbstractFunction1;
-import scala.util.Try;
-
-public class RequestCompleteCallback extends AbstractFunction1<Try<Result>, Object> {
-
-  private static final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(RequestCompleteCallback.class);
-
-  private final Context context;
-
-  public RequestCompleteCallback(Context context) {
-    this.context = context;
-  }
-
-  @Override
-  public Object apply(Try<Result> result) {
-    try {
-      if (result.isFailure()) {
-        tracer().endExceptionally(context, result.failed().get());
-      } else {
-        tracer().end(context);
-      }
-    } catch (Throwable t) {
-      logger.debug("error in play instrumentation", t);
-    }
-    return null;
-  }
-}
diff --git a/instrumentation/play/play-2.6/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/play/v2_6/ResponseFutureWrapper.java b/instrumentation/play/play-2.6/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/play/v2_6/ResponseFutureWrapper.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..f440359f9dec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/instrumentation/play/play-2.6/javaagent/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/javaagent/instrumentation/play/v2_6/ResponseFutureWrapper.java
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright The OpenTelemetry Authors
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+ */
+
+package io.opentelemetry.javaagent.instrumentation.play.v2_6;
+
+import static io.opentelemetry.javaagent.instrumentation.play.v2_6.PlayTracer.tracer;
+
+import io.opentelemetry.context.Context;
+import play.api.mvc.Result;
+import scala.concurrent.ExecutionContext;
+import scala.concurrent.Future;
+import scala.runtime.AbstractFunction1;
+
+public class ResponseFutureWrapper {
+
+  public static Future<Result> wrap(
+      Future<Result> future, Context context, ExecutionContext executionContext) {
+
+    return future.transform(
+        new AbstractFunction1<Result, Result>() {
+          @Override
+          public Result apply(Result result) {
+            tracer().end(context);
+            return result;
+          }
+        },
+        new AbstractFunction1<Throwable, Throwable>() {
+          @Override
+          public Throwable apply(Throwable throwable) {
+            tracer().endExceptionally(context, throwable);
+            return throwable;
+          }
+        },
+        executionContext);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/instrumentation/spring/spring-webflux-5.0/javaagent/src/test/groovy/server/base/ControllerSpringWebFluxServerTest.groovy b/instrumentation/spring/spring-webflux-5.0/javaagent/src/test/groovy/server/base/ControllerSpringWebFluxServerTest.groovy
index 5f0efd07c715..85952f1ae0d9 100644
--- a/instrumentation/spring/spring-webflux-5.0/javaagent/src/test/groovy/server/base/ControllerSpringWebFluxServerTest.groovy
+++ b/instrumentation/spring/spring-webflux-5.0/javaagent/src/test/groovy/server/base/ControllerSpringWebFluxServerTest.groovy
@@ -44,4 +44,12 @@ abstract class ControllerSpringWebFluxServerTest extends SpringWebFluxServerTest
   boolean hasHandlerAsControllerParentSpan(HttpServerTest.ServerEndpoint endpoint) {
     return false
   }
+
+  @Override
+  boolean verifyServerSpanEndTime() {
+    // TODO (trask) it seems like in this case ideally the controller span (which ends when the Mono
+    //  that the controller returns completes) should end before the server span (which needs the
+    //  result of the Mono)
+    false
+  }
 }
diff --git a/instrumentation/spring/spring-webflux-5.0/javaagent/src/test/groovy/server/base/HandlerSpringWebFluxServerTest.groovy b/instrumentation/spring/spring-webflux-5.0/javaagent/src/test/groovy/server/base/HandlerSpringWebFluxServerTest.groovy
index 0cef823425d7..442cfd22f2e3 100644
--- a/instrumentation/spring/spring-webflux-5.0/javaagent/src/test/groovy/server/base/HandlerSpringWebFluxServerTest.groovy
+++ b/instrumentation/spring/spring-webflux-5.0/javaagent/src/test/groovy/server/base/HandlerSpringWebFluxServerTest.groovy
@@ -39,4 +39,12 @@ abstract class HandlerSpringWebFluxServerTest extends SpringWebFluxServerTest {
       childOf((SpanData) parent)
     }
   }
+
+  @Override
+  boolean verifyServerSpanEndTime() {
+    // TODO (trask) it seems like in this case ideally the handler span (which ends when the Mono
+    //  that the handler returns completes) should end before the server span (which needs the
+    //  result of the Mono)
+    false
+  }
 }