diff --git a/pkg/controller/machinepool/ibmcloudactuator_test.go b/pkg/controller/machinepool/ibmcloudactuator_test.go
index ed784eb5cc..9ae1f32519 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/machinepool/ibmcloudactuator_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/machinepool/ibmcloudactuator_test.go
@@ -10,7 +10,11 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
 	corev1 "k8s.io/api/core/v1"
+	v1 "k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/apis/meta/v1"
+	"k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/runtime"
 
+	configv1 "github.com/openshift/api/config/v1"
+	machinev1beta1 "github.com/openshift/api/machine/v1beta1"
 	ibmcloudprovider "github.com/openshift/machine-api-provider-ibmcloud/pkg/apis/ibmcloudprovider/v1"
 
 	hivev1 "github.com/openshift/hive/apis/hive/v1"
@@ -168,6 +172,94 @@ func TestIBMCloudActuator(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestIBMCloudMatchMachineSets(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name        string
+		generated   *machinev1beta1.MachineSet
+		remote      *machinev1beta1.MachineSet
+		expectMatch bool
+		expectErr   bool
+	}{
+		{
+			name:        "Zones match",
+			generated:   testIBMCloudMachineSet("1"),
+			remote:      testIBMCloudMachineSet("1"),
+			expectMatch: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "Zones do not match",
+			generated: testIBMCloudMachineSet("1"),
+			remote:    testIBMCloudMachineSet("2"),
+		},
+		{
+			name: "bogus generated mset",
+			generated: &machinev1beta1.MachineSet{
+				ObjectMeta: v1.ObjectMeta{
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						machinePoolNameLabel: "a-pool",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			remote:    testIBMCloudMachineSet("2"),
+			expectErr: true,
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "bogus remote mset",
+			generated: testIBMCloudMachineSet("2"),
+			remote: &machinev1beta1.MachineSet{
+				ObjectMeta: v1.ObjectMeta{
+					Labels: map[string]string{
+						machinePoolNameLabel: "a-pool",
+					},
+				},
+			},
+			expectErr: true,
+		},
+	}
+	for _, test := range tests {
+		t.Run(test.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			infra := &configv1.Infrastructure{
+				Spec: configv1.InfrastructureSpec{
+					PlatformSpec: configv1.PlatformSpec{
+						Type: configv1.IBMCloudPlatformType,
+					},
+				},
+			}
+			match, err := matchMachineSets(test.generated, *test.remote, infra, log.New())
+			if test.expectErr {
+				assert.Error(t, err, "expected error for test case")
+			} else {
+				assert.NoError(t, err, "unexpected error for test case")
+				assert.Equal(t, test.expectMatch, match, "unexpected match result")
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// This is super simple and fit-for-purpose right now.
+func testIBMCloudMachineSet(zone string) *machinev1beta1.MachineSet {
+	return &machinev1beta1.MachineSet{
+		ObjectMeta: v1.ObjectMeta{
+			Labels: map[string]string{
+				machinePoolNameLabel: "a-pool",
+			},
+		},
+		Spec: machinev1beta1.MachineSetSpec{
+			Template: machinev1beta1.MachineTemplateSpec{
+				Spec: machinev1beta1.MachineSpec{
+					ProviderSpec: machinev1beta1.ProviderSpec{
+						Value: &runtime.RawExtension{
+							Object: &ibmcloudprovider.IBMCloudMachineProviderSpec{
+								Zone: zone,
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+}
+
 func testIBMCloudPool() *hivev1.MachinePool {
 	p := testMachinePool()
 	p.Spec.Platform = hivev1.MachinePoolPlatform{
diff --git a/pkg/controller/machinepool/machinepool_controller.go b/pkg/controller/machinepool/machinepool_controller.go
index 1787746ec6..bd8cfda998 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/machinepool/machinepool_controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/machinepool/machinepool_controller.go
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ import (
 	cpms "github.com/openshift/cluster-control-plane-machine-set-operator/pkg/machineproviders/providers/openshift/machine/v1beta1/providerconfig"
 	installertypes "github.com/openshift/installer/pkg/types"
 	"github.com/openshift/library-go/pkg/operator/resource/resourcemerge"
+	ibmcloudprovider "github.com/openshift/machine-api-provider-ibmcloud/pkg/apis/ibmcloudprovider/v1"
 
 	hivev1 "github.com/openshift/hive/apis/hive/v1"
 	"github.com/openshift/hive/pkg/awsclient"
@@ -685,11 +686,25 @@ func matchFailureDomains(gMS *machineapi.MachineSet, rMS machineapi.MachineSet,
 	if gSpec.ProviderSpec.Value.Raw == nil {
 		gSpec.ProviderSpec.Value.Raw, err = json.Marshal(gMS.Spec.Template.Spec.ProviderSpec.Value.Object)
 		if err != nil {
-			logger.WithError(err).Error("unable to marshal generate ms provider spec object to raw value")
+			logger.WithError(err).Error("unable to marshal generated ms provider spec object to raw value")
 			return false, err
 		}
 	}
 
+	// SNOWFLAKE! CPMS does not support IBMCloud, so we have to roll our own matcher. HIVE-3002.
+	if infrastructure.Spec.PlatformSpec.Type == configv1.IBMCloudPlatformType {
+		rPS := &ibmcloudprovider.IBMCloudMachineProviderSpec{}
+		gPS := &ibmcloudprovider.IBMCloudMachineProviderSpec{}
+		// Non-strict
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(rSpec.ProviderSpec.Value.Raw, rPS); err != nil {
+			return false, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to unmarshal providerSpec for remote MachineSet")
+		}
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(gSpec.ProviderSpec.Value.Raw, gPS); err != nil {
+			return false, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to unmarshal providerSpec for generated MachineSet")
+		}
+		return rPS.Zone == gPS.Zone, nil
+	}
+
 	// - The provider config funcs take a different kind of logger. Convert.
 	logr := logrus.NewLogr(logger)
 	rMS_providerconfig, err := cpms.NewProviderConfigFromMachineSpec(logr, rSpec, infrastructure)