diff --git a/changes-entries/h2-options-asterisk.txt b/changes-entries/h2-options-asterisk.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..6dfcb7048f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changes-entries/h2-options-asterisk.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+  *) mod_http2: Correctly handle the asterisk-form of OPTIONS requests
+     instead of rejecting them as malformed.  PR 70195.
+     [Arturo Bernal <abernal apache.org>]
diff --git a/modules/http2/h2_stream.c b/modules/http2/h2_stream.c
index 28a4714a4de..ef5f2cad6e6 100644
--- a/modules/http2/h2_stream.c
+++ b/modules/http2/h2_stream.c
@@ -969,10 +969,13 @@ apr_status_t h2_stream_end_headers(h2_stream *stream, int eos, size_t raw_bytes)
         }
     }
 
-    if (req->scheme && (req->path && req->path[0] != '/')) {
+    if (req->scheme && (req->path && req->path[0] != '/')
+        && !(is_http_or_https && !strcmp(req->path, "*")
+             && !strcmp(req->method, "OPTIONS"))) {
         /* We still have a scheme, which means we need to pass an absolute URI into
          * our HTTP protocol handling and the missing '/' at the start will prevent
-         * us from doing so (as it then confuses path and authority). */
+         * us from doing so (as it then confuses path and authority).
+         * The asterisk-form of OPTIONS is no URI path and passed as is. */
         ap_log_cerror(APLOG_MARK, APLOG_INFO, 0, stream->session->c1,
                       H2_STRM_LOG(APLOGNO(10379), stream, "Request :scheme '%s' and "
                       "path '%s' do not allow creating an absolute URL. Failing "
diff --git a/test/modules/http2/test_203_rfc9113.py b/test/modules/http2/test_203_rfc9113.py
index 27bd80b6990..f0c3fa7cc26 100644
--- a/test/modules/http2/test_203_rfc9113.py
+++ b/test/modules/http2/test_203_rfc9113.py
@@ -71,3 +71,28 @@ def test_h2_203_02(self, env, hvalue, expvalue, status, lognos: Optional[List[st
         if lognos is not None:
             env.httpd_error_log.ignore_recent(lognos = lognos)
 
+    # RFC 9113, ch. 8.3.1: an OPTIONS request in asterisk form carries ':path: *'
+    def test_h2_203_03_options_asterisk(self, env):
+        url = env.mkurl("https", "test1", "/")
+        r = env.curl_get(url, options=['--http2', '-X', 'OPTIONS',
+                                       '--request-target', '*'])
+        assert r.exit_code == 0, f'curl output: {r.stderr}'
+        assert r.response["protocol"] == "HTTP/2", f'curl output: {r.stdout}'
+        assert r.response["status"] == 200, f'curl output: {r.stdout}'
+
+    # the asterisk form is only valid for OPTIONS, other ':path' values
+    # not starting with '/' remain malformed. nghttp2 may already reset
+    # the stream (curl fails), otherwise we answer with a 400.
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(["method", "target"], [
+        ['GET', '*'],
+        ['POST', '*'],
+        ['OPTIONS', '**'],
+        ['OPTIONS', 'index.html'],
+    ])
+    def test_h2_203_04_invalid_path(self, env, method, target):
+        url = env.mkurl("https", "test1", "/")
+        r = env.curl_get(url, options=['--http2', '-X', method,
+                                       '--request-target', target])
+        assert r.exit_code != 0 or r.response["status"] == 400, \
+            f'curl exit: {r.exit_code}, output: {r.stdout}'
+