diff --git a/cmd/podman/common/create.go b/cmd/podman/common/create.go
index 3d2dc42d59..6de40987ee 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/common/create.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/common/create.go
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 package common
 
 import (
-	"os"
-
 	"github.com/containers/common/pkg/auth"
 	"github.com/containers/common/pkg/completion"
 	commonFlag "github.com/containers/common/pkg/flag"
@@ -723,7 +721,7 @@ func DefineCreateFlags(cmd *cobra.Command, cf *entities.ContainerCreateOptions,
 
 		usernsFlagName := "userns"
 		createFlags.String(
-			usernsFlagName, os.Getenv("PODMAN_USERNS"),
+			usernsFlagName, "",
 			"User namespace to use",
 		)
 		_ = cmd.RegisterFlagCompletionFunc(usernsFlagName, AutocompleteUserNamespace)
diff --git a/cmd/podman/kube/play.go b/cmd/podman/kube/play.go
index 908e0077b0..eba54f0193 100644
--- a/cmd/podman/kube/play.go
+++ b/cmd/podman/kube/play.go
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ func playFlags(cmd *cobra.Command) {
 	_ = cmd.RegisterFlagCompletionFunc(logOptFlagName, common.AutocompleteLogOpt)
 
 	usernsFlagName := "userns"
-	flags.StringVar(&playOptions.Userns, usernsFlagName, os.Getenv("PODMAN_USERNS"),
+	flags.StringVar(&playOptions.Userns, usernsFlagName, "",
 		"User namespace to use",
 	)
 	_ = cmd.RegisterFlagCompletionFunc(usernsFlagName, common.AutocompleteUserNamespace)
diff --git a/pkg/specgenutil/specgen.go b/pkg/specgenutil/specgen.go
index 912193b453..c9dc0775d5 100644
--- a/pkg/specgenutil/specgen.go
+++ b/pkg/specgenutil/specgen.go
@@ -222,7 +222,8 @@ func setNamespaces(rtc *config.Config, s *specgen.SpecGenerator, c *entities.Con
 		}
 	}
 	userns := c.UserNS
-	if userns == "" && c.Pod == "" {
+	// caller must make sure s.Pod is set before calling this function.
+	if userns == "" && s.Pod == "" {
 		if ns, ok := os.LookupEnv("PODMAN_USERNS"); ok {
 			userns = ns
 		} else {
@@ -388,6 +389,22 @@ func FillOutSpecGen(s *specgen.SpecGenerator, c *entities.ContainerCreateOptions
 		s.StartupHealthConfig.Successes = int(c.StartupHCSuccesses)
 	}
 
+	if len(s.Pod) == 0 || len(c.Pod) > 0 {
+		s.Pod = c.Pod
+	}
+
+	if len(c.PodIDFile) > 0 {
+		if len(s.Pod) > 0 {
+			return errors.New("cannot specify both --pod and --pod-id-file")
+		}
+		podID, err := ReadPodIDFile(c.PodIDFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		s.Pod = podID
+	}
+
+	// Important s.Pod must be set above here.
 	if err := setNamespaces(rtc, s, c); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -408,21 +425,6 @@ func FillOutSpecGen(s *specgen.SpecGenerator, c *entities.ContainerCreateOptions
 		s.PublishExposedPorts = &c.PublishAll
 	}
 
-	if len(s.Pod) == 0 || len(c.Pod) > 0 {
-		s.Pod = c.Pod
-	}
-
-	if len(c.PodIDFile) > 0 {
-		if len(s.Pod) > 0 {
-			return errors.New("cannot specify both --pod and --pod-id-file")
-		}
-		podID, err := ReadPodIDFile(c.PodIDFile)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		s.Pod = podID
-	}
-
 	expose, err := CreateExpose(c.Expose)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
diff --git a/test/e2e/run_userns_test.go b/test/e2e/run_userns_test.go
index 311a6f1c41..811f0a4620 100644
--- a/test/e2e/run_userns_test.go
+++ b/test/e2e/run_userns_test.go
@@ -422,4 +422,41 @@ var _ = Describe("Podman UserNS support", func() {
 			podmanTest.RestartRemoteService()
 		}
 	})
+
+	It("podman pod userns inherited for containers", func() {
+		podName := "testPod"
+		podIDFile := filepath.Join(podmanTest.TempDir, "podid")
+		podCreate := podmanTest.Podman([]string{"pod", "create", "--pod-id-file", podIDFile, "--uidmap", "0:0:1000", "--name", podName})
+		podCreate.WaitWithDefaultTimeout()
+		Expect(podCreate).Should(ExitCleanly())
+
+		// The containers should not use PODMAN_USERNS as they must inherited the userns from the pod.
+		os.Setenv("PODMAN_USERNS", "keep-id")
+		defer os.Unsetenv("PODMAN_USERNS")
+
+		expectedMapping := `         0          0       1000
+         0          0       1000
+`
+		// rootless mapping is split in two ranges
+		if isRootless() {
+			expectedMapping = `         0          0          1
+         1          1        999
+         0          0          1
+         1          1        999
+`
+		}
+
+		session := podmanTest.Podman([]string{"run", "--pod", podName, ALPINE, "cat", "/proc/self/uid_map", "/proc/self/gid_map"})
+		session.WaitWithDefaultTimeout()
+		Expect(session).Should(ExitCleanly())
+		output := string(session.Out.Contents())
+		Expect(output).To(Equal(expectedMapping))
+
+		// https://github.com/containers/podman/issues/22931
+		session = podmanTest.Podman([]string{"run", "--pod-id-file", podIDFile, ALPINE, "cat", "/proc/self/uid_map", "/proc/self/gid_map"})
+		session.WaitWithDefaultTimeout()
+		Expect(session).Should(ExitCleanly())
+		output = string(session.Out.Contents())
+		Expect(output).To(Equal(expectedMapping))
+	})
 })