diff --git a/pkg/distro/defs/loader.go b/pkg/distro/defs/loader.go
index 360d7daef9..5587ef37dd 100644
--- a/pkg/distro/defs/loader.go
+++ b/pkg/distro/defs/loader.go
@@ -210,17 +210,18 @@ func NewDistroYAML(nameVer string) (*DistroYAML, error) {
 			return nil, err
 		}
 		if found != "" {
-			if err := distro.runTemplates(found); err != nil {
-				return nil, err
-			}
-
 			foundDistro = &distro
+			// nameVer must be replaced with normalized name
+			nameVer = found
 			break
 		}
 	}
 	if foundDistro == nil {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
+	if err := foundDistro.runTemplates(nameVer); err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
 
 	// load imageTypes
 	f, err := dataFS().Open(filepath.Join(foundDistro.DefsPath, "distro.yaml"))
diff --git a/pkg/distro/defs/loader_test.go b/pkg/distro/defs/loader_test.go
index 2a76fbc524..d893e281d8 100644
--- a/pkg/distro/defs/loader_test.go
+++ b/pkg/distro/defs/loader_test.go
@@ -795,7 +795,7 @@ distros:
       name: org.osbuild.fedora43
       build_packages: ["glibc"]
     bootstrap_containers:
-      x86_64: "registry.fedoraproject.org/fedora-toolbox:43"
+      x86_64: "registry.fedoraproject.org/fedora-toolbox:{{.MajorVersion}}"
     oscap_profiles_allowlist:
       - "xccdf_org.ssgproject.content_profile_ospp"