diff --git a/test/system/252-quadlet.bats b/test/system/252-quadlet.bats
index 0e2c15f8cb..3b2bbb5be7 100644
--- a/test/system/252-quadlet.bats
+++ b/test/system/252-quadlet.bats
@@ -1188,8 +1188,8 @@ spec:
 EOF
 
     # Bind the port to force a an error when starting the pod
-    timeout --foreground -v --kill=10 10 ncat -l 127.0.0.1 $port &
-    nc_pid=$!
+    timeout --foreground -v --kill=10 10 socat TCP-LISTEN:$port,bind=127.0.0.1,fork - &
+    socat_pid=$!
 
     # Create the Quadlet file
     local quadlet_file=$PODMAN_TMPDIR/start_err_$(safename).kube
@@ -1214,7 +1214,7 @@ EOF
     run -0 journalctl -eu $QUADLET_SERVICE_NAME
     assert "$output" =~ "$port: bind: address already in use" "journal contains the real podman start error"
 
-    kill "$nc_pid"
+    kill "$socat_pid"
 }
 
 # https://github.com/containers/podman/issues/25786
diff --git a/test/system/500-networking.bats b/test/system/500-networking.bats
index fd07c16939..44e8e1ce58 100644
--- a/test/system/500-networking.bats
+++ b/test/system/500-networking.bats
@@ -806,26 +806,26 @@ nameserver 8.8.8.8" "nameserver order is correct"
         cid="$output"
 
         # make sure binding the same port fails
-        run timeout 5 ncat -l 127.0.0.1 $port
-        assert "$status" -eq 2 "ncat unexpected exit code"
-        assert "$output" =~ "127.0.0.1:$port: Address already in use" "ncat error message"
+        run timeout 5 socat TCP-LISTEN:$port,bind=127.0.0.1,fork -
+        assert "$status" -eq 1 "socat unexpected exit code"
+        assert "$output" =~ ".* 127.0.0.1:$port.* Address already in use" "socat error message"
 
         for port in $(seq $port $end_port); do
             run_podman exec -d $cid nc -l -p $port -e /bin/cat
 
-            # we have to rety ncat as it can flake as we exec in the background so nc -l
+            # we have to retry socat as it can flake as we exec in the background so nc -l
             # might not have bound the port yet, retry seems simpler than checking if the
             # port is bound in the container, https://github.com/containers/podman/issues/21561.
             retries=5
             while [[ $retries -gt 0 ]]; do
-                run ncat 127.0.0.1 $port <<<$random
+                run socat - TCP:127.0.0.1:$port <<<$random
                 if [[ $status -eq 0 ]]; then
                     break
                 fi
                 sleep 0.5
                 retries=$((retries -1))
             done
-            is "$output" "$random" "ncat got data back (netmode=$netmode port=$port)"
+            is "$output" "$random" "socat got data back (netmode=$netmode port=$port)"
         done
 
         run_podman rm -f -t0 $cid
diff --git a/test/system/README.md b/test/system/README.md
index fdd873a655..2e9d2f0ce6 100644
--- a/test/system/README.md
+++ b/test/system/README.md
@@ -86,7 +86,6 @@ Requirements
 - bats
 - jq
 - skopeo
-- nmap-ncat
 - httpd-tools
 - openssl
 - socat