diff --git a/playbooks/common/openshift-cluster/upgrades/init.yml b/playbooks/common/openshift-cluster/upgrades/init.yml
index fdc7720724d..238d0048a0e 100644
--- a/playbooks/common/openshift-cluster/upgrades/init.yml
+++ b/playbooks/common/openshift-cluster/upgrades/init.yml
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
 - import_playbook: ../../../init/basic_facts.yml
 - import_playbook: ../../../init/base_packages.yml
 - import_playbook: ../../../init/cluster_facts.yml
+  vars:
+    l_check_nodename: True
 
 - name: Ensure essential node configmaps are present
   hosts: oo_first_master
diff --git a/playbooks/init/cluster_facts.yml b/playbooks/init/cluster_facts.yml
index e593523dbff..8cc2ce96a30 100644
--- a/playbooks/init/cluster_facts.yml
+++ b/playbooks/init/cluster_facts.yml
@@ -64,6 +64,31 @@
         sdn_mtu: "{{ openshift_node_sdn_mtu | default(None) }}"
         bootstrapped: "{{ openshift_is_bootstrapped }}"
 
+  - when:
+    # l_check_nodename is passed in during upgrades.
+    - l_check_nodename | default(False)
+    - inventory_hostname in groups['oo_nodes_to_config']
+    block:
+    - name: Read node config
+      slurp:
+        src: "{{ openshift.common.config_base }}/node/node-config.yaml"
+      register: node_config_slurp
+
+    # if using openshift_kubelet_name_override, l_kubelet_node_name will be
+    # set to that value.
+    - name: Fail when nodeName is wrong
+      fail:
+        msg: >
+          nodeName mismatch from node's config; existing name in config: {{ l_nodeconfig_name }};
+          discovered nodename from openshift_facts: {{ l_kubelet_node_name }}
+      vars:
+        l_nodeconfig_yaml: "{{ node_config_slurp.content | b64decode| from_yaml }}"
+        # existing 3.10+ configs might not have nodeName defined.
+        l_nodeconfig_nodename: "{{ l_nodeconfig_yaml['nodeName'] | default('') }}"
+      when:
+      - l_nodeconfig_nodename != ''
+      - l_nodeconfig_nodename != l_kubelet_node_name
+
 - name: Initialize etcd host variables
   hosts: oo_masters_to_config
   roles: