diff --git a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/web/servlet/context/ServletWebServerApplicationContext.java b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/web/servlet/context/ServletWebServerApplicationContext.java
index 0e0456618ed..a18304855e1 100644
--- a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/web/servlet/context/ServletWebServerApplicationContext.java
+++ b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/main/java/org/springframework/boot/web/servlet/context/ServletWebServerApplicationContext.java
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ import org.springframework.web.context.WebApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.web.context.support.GenericWebApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.web.context.support.ServletContextAwareProcessor;
 import org.springframework.web.context.support.ServletContextResource;
+import org.springframework.web.context.support.ServletContextScope;
 import org.springframework.web.context.support.WebApplicationContextUtils;
 
 /**
@@ -132,7 +133,7 @@ public class ServletWebServerApplicationContext extends GenericWebApplicationCon
 		beanFactory.addBeanPostProcessor(
 				new WebApplicationContextServletContextAwareProcessor(this));
 		beanFactory.ignoreDependencyInterface(ServletContextAware.class);
-		registerWebApplicationScopes(null);
+		registerWebApplicationScopes();
 	}
 
 	@Override
@@ -227,7 +228,7 @@ public class ServletWebServerApplicationContext extends GenericWebApplicationCon
 
 	private void selfInitialize(ServletContext servletContext) throws ServletException {
 		prepareWebApplicationContext(servletContext);
-		registerWebApplicationScopes(servletContext);
+		registerApplicationScope(servletContext);
 		WebApplicationContextUtils.registerEnvironmentBeans(getBeanFactory(),
 				servletContext);
 		for (ServletContextInitializer beans : getServletContextInitializerBeans()) {
@@ -235,11 +236,17 @@ public class ServletWebServerApplicationContext extends GenericWebApplicationCon
 		}
 	}
 
-	private void registerWebApplicationScopes(ServletContext servletContext) {
+	private void registerApplicationScope(ServletContext servletContext) {
+		ServletContextScope appScope = new ServletContextScope(servletContext);
+		getBeanFactory().registerScope(WebApplicationContext.SCOPE_APPLICATION, appScope);
+		// Register as ServletContext attribute, for ContextCleanupListener to detect it.
+		servletContext.setAttribute(ServletContextScope.class.getName(), appScope);
+	}
+
+	private void registerWebApplicationScopes() {
 		ExistingWebApplicationScopes existingScopes = new ExistingWebApplicationScopes(
 				getBeanFactory());
-		WebApplicationContextUtils.registerWebApplicationScopes(getBeanFactory(),
-				servletContext);
+		WebApplicationContextUtils.registerWebApplicationScopes(getBeanFactory());
 		existingScopes.restore();
 	}
 
diff --git a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/web/servlet/context/ServletWebServerApplicationContextTests.java b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/web/servlet/context/ServletWebServerApplicationContextTests.java
index 237d1874836..db7a0d9e7f0 100644
--- a/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/web/servlet/context/ServletWebServerApplicationContextTests.java
+++ b/spring-boot-project/spring-boot/src/test/java/org/springframework/boot/web/servlet/context/ServletWebServerApplicationContextTests.java
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.ConstructorArgumentValues;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.Scope;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.RootBeanDefinition;
+import org.springframework.boot.testsupport.rule.OutputCapture;
 import org.springframework.boot.web.context.ServerPortInfoApplicationContextInitializer;
 import org.springframework.boot.web.servlet.DelegatingFilterProxyRegistrationBean;
 import org.springframework.boot.web.servlet.FilterRegistrationBean;
@@ -91,6 +92,9 @@ public class ServletWebServerApplicationContextTests {
 
 	private ServletWebServerApplicationContext context;
 
+	@Rule
+	public OutputCapture output = new OutputCapture();
+
 	@Captor
 	private ArgumentCaptor<Filter> filterCaptor;
 
@@ -463,6 +467,7 @@ public class ServletWebServerApplicationContextTests {
 	@Test
 	public void servletRequestCanBeInjectedEarly() throws Exception {
 		// gh-14990
+		int initialOutputLength = this.output.toString().length();
 		addWebServerFactoryBean();
 		RootBeanDefinition beanDefinition = new RootBeanDefinition(
 				WithAutowiredServletRequest.class);
@@ -481,6 +486,16 @@ public class ServletWebServerApplicationContextTests {
 
 		});
 		this.context.refresh();
+		String output = this.output.toString().substring(initialOutputLength);
+		assertThat(output).doesNotContain("Replacing scope");
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void webApplicationScopeIsRegistered() throws Exception {
+		addWebServerFactoryBean();
+		this.context.refresh();
+		assertThat(this.context.getBeanFactory()
+				.getRegisteredScope(WebApplicationContext.SCOPE_APPLICATION)).isNotNull();
 	}
 
 	private void addWebServerFactoryBean() {
@@ -549,4 +564,18 @@ public class ServletWebServerApplicationContextTests {
 
 	}
 
+	protected static class WithAutowiredServletContext {
+
+		private final ServletContext context;
+
+		public WithAutowiredServletContext(ServletContext context) {
+			this.context = context;
+		}
+
+		public ServletContext getContext() {
+			return this.context;
+		}
+
+	}
+
 }