diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/367-docker_container-ports-validation.yml b/changelogs/fragments/367-docker_container-ports-validation.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8c9dd1cb7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/367-docker_container-ports-validation.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+bugfixes:
+  - "docker_container - fail with a meaningful message instead of crashing if a port is specified with more than three colon-separated parts (https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.docker/pull/367, https://github.com/ansible-collections/community.docker/issues/365)."
diff --git a/plugins/modules/docker_container.py b/plugins/modules/docker_container.py
index 6f3104776..4d36d5a25 100644
--- a/plugins/modules/docker_container.py
+++ b/plugins/modules/docker_container.py
@@ -1855,6 +1855,9 @@ def _parse_publish_ports(self):
                         port_binds = [(ipaddr, port) for port in parse_port_range(parts[1], self.client)]
                 else:
                     port_binds = len(container_ports) * [(ipaddr,)]
+            else:
+                self.fail(('Invalid port description "%s" - expected 1 to 3 colon-separated parts, but got %d. '
+                           'Maybe you forgot to use square brackets ([...]) around an IPv6 address?') % (port, p_len))
 
             for bind, container_port in zip(port_binds, container_ports):
                 idx = '{0}/{1}'.format(container_port, protocol) if protocol else container_port
diff --git a/tests/integration/targets/docker_container/tasks/tests/ports.yml b/tests/integration/targets/docker_container/tasks/tests/ports.yml
index 370d038ea..919878844 100644
--- a/tests/integration/targets/docker_container/tasks/tests/ports.yml
+++ b/tests/integration/targets/docker_container/tasks/tests/ports.yml
@@ -7,6 +7,52 @@
   set_fact:
     cnames: "{{ cnames + [cname, cname2] }}"
 
+####################################################################
+## published_ports: error handling #################################
+####################################################################
+
+- name: published_ports -- non-closing square bracket
+  docker_container:
+    image: "{{ docker_test_image_alpine }}"
+    command: '/bin/sh -c "sleep 10m"'
+    name: "{{ cname }}"
+    state: started
+    published_ports:
+    - "[::1:2000:3000"
+  register: published_ports_1
+  ignore_errors: true
+
+- name: published_ports -- forgot square brackets for IPv6
+  docker_container:
+    image: "{{ docker_test_image_alpine }}"
+    command: '/bin/sh -c "sleep 10m"'
+    name: "{{ cname }}"
+    state: started
+    published_ports:
+    - "::1:2000:3000"
+  register: published_ports_2
+  ignore_errors: true
+
+- name: published_ports -- disallow hostnames
+  docker_container:
+    image: "{{ docker_test_image_alpine }}"
+    command: '/bin/sh -c "sleep 10m"'
+    name: "{{ cname }}"
+    state: started
+    published_ports:
+    - "foo:2000:3000"
+  register: published_ports_3
+  ignore_errors: true
+
+- assert:
+    that:
+      - published_ports_1 is failed
+      - published_ports_1.msg == 'Cannot find closing "]" in input "[::1:2000:3000" for opening "[" at index 1!'
+      - published_ports_2 is failed
+      - published_ports_2.msg == 'Invalid port description "::1:2000:3000" - expected 1 to 3 colon-separated parts, but got 5. Maybe you forgot to use square brackets ([...]) around an IPv6 address?'
+      - published_ports_3 is failed
+      - "published_ports_3.msg == 'Bind addresses for published ports must be IPv4 or IPv6 addresses, not hostnames. Use the dig lookup to resolve hostnames. (Found hostname: foo)'"
+
 ####################################################################
 ## published_ports: all ############################################
 ####################################################################