diff --git a/contrib/cirrus/lib.sh b/contrib/cirrus/lib.sh
index 131b3084f0..37b6438b45 100644
--- a/contrib/cirrus/lib.sh
+++ b/contrib/cirrus/lib.sh
@@ -214,11 +214,9 @@ use_cni() {
         die "Testing debian w/ CNI networking currently not supported"
     fi
 
-    msg "Unsetting NETWORK_BACKEND for all subsequent environments."
-    echo "export -n NETWORK_BACKEND" >> /etc/ci_environment
-    echo "unset NETWORK_BACKEND" >> /etc/ci_environment
-    export -n NETWORK_BACKEND
-    unset NETWORK_BACKEND
+    msg "Forcing NETWORK_BACKEND=cni for all subsequent environments."
+    echo "NETWORK_BACKEND=cni" >> /etc/ci_environment
+    export NETWORK_BACKEND=cni
     # While it's possible a user may want both installed, for CNI CI testing
     # purposes we only care about backward-compatibility, not forward.
     # If both CNI & netavark are present, in some situations where --root
@@ -250,9 +248,11 @@ use_cni() {
 use_netavark() {
     req_env_vars OS_RELEASE_ID PRIOR_FEDORA_NAME DISTRO_NV
     local magickind repokind
-    msg "Forcing NETWORK_BACKEND=netavark for all subsequent environments."
-    echo "NETWORK_BACKEND=netavark" >> /etc/ci_environment
-    export NETWORK_BACKEND=netavark  # needed for install_test_configs()
+    msg "Unsetting NETWORK_BACKEND for all subsequent environments."
+    echo "export -n NETWORK_BACKEND" >> /etc/ci_environment
+    echo "unset NETWORK_BACKEND" >> /etc/ci_environment
+    export -n NETWORK_BACKEND
+    unset NETWORK_BACKEND
     msg "Removing any/all CNI configuration"
     showrun rm -rvf /etc/cni/net.d/*
     # N/B: The CNI packages are still installed and available. This is
diff --git a/test/README.md b/test/README.md
index 1041fab6da..c8bc192ccd 100644
--- a/test/README.md
+++ b/test/README.md
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ The following environment variables are supported by the test setup:
  - `QUADLET_BINARY`: path to the quadlet binary, defaults to `bin/quadlet` in the repository root.
  - `CONMON_BINARY`: path to th conmon binary, defaults to `/usr/libexec/podman/conmon`.
  - `OCI_RUNTIME`: which oci runtime to use, defaults to `crun`.
- - `NETWORK_BACKEND`: the network backend, either `cni` (default) or `netavark`.
+ - `NETWORK_BACKEND`: the network backend, either `netavark` (default) or `cni`.
  - `PODMAN_DB`: the database backend `boltdb` (default) or `sqlite`.
  - `PODMAN_TEST_IMAGE_CACHE_DIR`: path were the container images should be cached, defaults to `/tmp`.
 
diff --git a/test/e2e/common_test.go b/test/e2e/common_test.go
index 4cc1ba576a..927b0407a0 100644
--- a/test/e2e/common_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/common_test.go
@@ -291,17 +291,17 @@ func PodmanTestCreateUtil(tempDir string, remote bool) *PodmanTestIntegration {
 		dbBackend = "sqlite"
 	}
 
-	networkBackend := CNI
-	networkConfigDir := "/etc/cni/net.d"
+	networkBackend := Netavark
+	networkConfigDir := "/etc/containers/networks"
 	if isRootless() {
-		networkConfigDir = filepath.Join(os.Getenv("HOME"), ".config/cni/net.d")
+		networkConfigDir = filepath.Join(root, "etc", "networks")
 	}
 
-	if strings.ToLower(os.Getenv("NETWORK_BACKEND")) == "netavark" {
-		networkBackend = Netavark
-		networkConfigDir = "/etc/containers/networks"
+	if strings.ToLower(os.Getenv("NETWORK_BACKEND")) == "cni" {
+		networkBackend = CNI
+		networkConfigDir = "/etc/cni/net.d"
 		if isRootless() {
-			networkConfigDir = filepath.Join(root, "etc", "networks")
+			networkConfigDir = filepath.Join(os.Getenv("HOME"), ".config/cni/net.d")
 		}
 	}