diff --git a/python-pip.spec b/python-pip.spec
index be8c530..f1098c2 100644
--- a/python-pip.spec
+++ b/python-pip.spec
@@ -101,6 +101,10 @@ Patch3:         remove-existing-dist-only-if-path-conflicts.patch
 # https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1655253
 Patch4:         dummy-certifi.patch
 
+# When virtualenv is not available, skip the tests instead of failing
+# Once we no longer ship or test python2-pip, remove this patch
+Patch5:         skip-virtualenv-tests.patch
+
 # Downstream only patch
 # Users might have local installations of pip from using
 # `pip install --user --upgrade pip` on older versions.
@@ -183,7 +187,6 @@ BuildRequires:  python2-pytest
 BuildRequires:  python2-pretend
 BuildRequires:  python2-freezegun
 BuildRequires:  python2-scripttest
-BuildRequires:  python2-virtualenv
 BuildRequires:  python2-pyyaml
 %endif
 %if %{without bootstrap}
@@ -297,6 +300,7 @@ popd
 %patch2 -p1
 %patch3 -p1
 %patch4 -p1
+%patch5 -p1
 
 # this goes together with patch4
 rm src/pip/_vendor/certifi/*.pem
@@ -453,7 +457,8 @@ export PATH="$PWD/_bin:$PATH"
 %if %{with python2}
 export PYTHONPATH=%{buildroot}%{python2_sitelib}
 ln -s %{buildroot}%{_bindir}/pip2 _bin/pip
-%{__python2} -m pytest -m 'not network' -k "$(echo $pytest_k)"
+# test_more_than_one_package assumes virtualenv is present
+%{__python2} -m pytest -m 'not network' -k "$(echo $pytest_k) and not test_more_than_one_package"
 %endif
 
 
diff --git a/skip-virtualenv-tests.patch b/skip-virtualenv-tests.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fb3f41f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/skip-virtualenv-tests.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+diff --git a/tests/lib/venv.py b/tests/lib/venv.py
+index 6b63391..126db5b 100644
+--- a/tests/lib/venv.py
++++ b/tests/lib/venv.py
+@@ -4,8 +4,12 @@ import compileall
+ import sys
+ import textwrap
+ 
++import pytest
+ import six
+-import virtualenv as _virtualenv
++try:
++    import virtualenv as _virtualenv
++except ImportError:
++    _virtualenv = None
+ 
+ from .path import Path
+ 
+@@ -20,6 +24,8 @@ class VirtualEnvironment(object):
+     """
+ 
+     def __init__(self, location, template=None, venv_type=None):
++        if _virtualenv is None:
++            pytest.skip('virtualenv not available')
+         assert template is None or venv_type is None
+         assert venv_type in (None, 'virtualenv', 'venv')
+         self.location = Path(location)