diff --git a/include/hw/vfio/vfio-common.h b/include/hw/vfio/vfio-common.h
index 6be082b8f20c2dfa28dbed85c343667ea20e2b73..bd4de6cb3aff7cb85e34960fe4238d82b30867cd 100644
--- a/include/hw/vfio/vfio-common.h
+++ b/include/hw/vfio/vfio-common.h
@@ -73,17 +73,10 @@ typedef struct VFIOMigration {
     bool initial_data_sent;
 } VFIOMigration;
 
-typedef struct VFIOAddressSpace {
-    AddressSpace *as;
-    QLIST_HEAD(, VFIOContainer) containers;
-    QLIST_ENTRY(VFIOAddressSpace) list;
-} VFIOAddressSpace;
-
 struct VFIOGroup;
 
 typedef struct VFIOContainer {
     VFIOContainerBase bcontainer;
-    VFIOAddressSpace *space;
     int fd; /* /dev/vfio/vfio, empowered by the attached groups */
     MemoryListener listener;
     MemoryListener prereg_listener;
@@ -98,7 +91,6 @@ typedef struct VFIOContainer {
     QLIST_HEAD(, VFIOHostDMAWindow) hostwin_list;
     QLIST_HEAD(, VFIOGroup) group_list;
     QLIST_HEAD(, VFIORamDiscardListener) vrdl_list;
-    QLIST_ENTRY(VFIOContainer) next;
     QLIST_HEAD(, VFIODevice) device_list;
     GList *iova_ranges;
 } VFIOContainer;
diff --git a/include/hw/vfio/vfio-container-base.h b/include/hw/vfio/vfio-container-base.h
index a11aec575544d7a4f29c0e33200ed962568372cf..c7cc6ec9c55e93e4f7c6be5576ed59b5dea58b1e 100644
--- a/include/hw/vfio/vfio-container-base.h
+++ b/include/hw/vfio/vfio-container-base.h
@@ -24,12 +24,20 @@ typedef struct {
     hwaddr pages;
 } VFIOBitmap;
 
+typedef struct VFIOAddressSpace {
+    AddressSpace *as;
+    QLIST_HEAD(, VFIOContainerBase) containers;
+    QLIST_ENTRY(VFIOAddressSpace) list;
+} VFIOAddressSpace;
+
 /*
  * This is the base object for vfio container backends
  */
 typedef struct VFIOContainerBase {
     const VFIOIOMMUOps *ops;
+    VFIOAddressSpace *space;
     QLIST_HEAD(, VFIOGuestIOMMU) giommu_list;
+    QLIST_ENTRY(VFIOContainerBase) next;
 } VFIOContainerBase;
 
 typedef struct VFIOGuestIOMMU {
@@ -48,6 +56,7 @@ int vfio_container_dma_unmap(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer,
                              IOMMUTLBEntry *iotlb);
 
 void vfio_container_init(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer,
+                         VFIOAddressSpace *space,
                          const VFIOIOMMUOps *ops);
 void vfio_container_destroy(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer);
 
diff --git a/hw/ppc/spapr_pci_vfio.c b/hw/ppc/spapr_pci_vfio.c
index f283f7e38d619fd65985146b5e1572c221f95c53..d1d07bec4644da4ae6a99d3357d6d17ff66264de 100644
--- a/hw/ppc/spapr_pci_vfio.c
+++ b/hw/ppc/spapr_pci_vfio.c
@@ -84,27 +84,27 @@ static int vfio_eeh_container_op(VFIOContainer *container, uint32_t op)
 static VFIOContainer *vfio_eeh_as_container(AddressSpace *as)
 {
     VFIOAddressSpace *space = vfio_get_address_space(as);
-    VFIOContainer *container = NULL;
+    VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer = NULL;
 
     if (QLIST_EMPTY(&space->containers)) {
         /* No containers to act on */
         goto out;
     }
 
-    container = QLIST_FIRST(&space->containers);
+    bcontainer = QLIST_FIRST(&space->containers);
 
-    if (QLIST_NEXT(container, next)) {
+    if (QLIST_NEXT(bcontainer, next)) {
         /*
          * We don't yet have logic to synchronize EEH state across
          * multiple containers
          */
-        container = NULL;
+        bcontainer = NULL;
         goto out;
     }
 
 out:
     vfio_put_address_space(space);
-    return container;
+    return container_of(bcontainer, VFIOContainer, bcontainer);
 }
 
 static bool vfio_eeh_as_ok(AddressSpace *as)
diff --git a/hw/vfio/common.c b/hw/vfio/common.c
index 43580bcc43c72336a50b002e17f4415035aa8798..1d8202537ea4f27f49f2d477537d6c7c557bd61f 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/common.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/common.c
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ void vfio_unblock_multiple_devices_migration(void)
 
 bool vfio_viommu_preset(VFIODevice *vbasedev)
 {
-    return vbasedev->container->space->as != &address_space_memory;
+    return vbasedev->container->bcontainer.space->as != &address_space_memory;
 }
 
 static void vfio_set_migration_error(int err)
@@ -922,7 +922,7 @@ static void vfio_dirty_tracking_init(VFIOContainer *container,
     dirty.container = container;
 
     memory_listener_register(&dirty.listener,
-                             container->space->as);
+                             container->bcontainer.space->as);
 
     *ranges = dirty.ranges;
 
diff --git a/hw/vfio/container-base.c b/hw/vfio/container-base.c
index 20bcb9669a6122f951119c025b9950854c53f88e..3933391e0db26116401509c5917eaceabcd98443 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/container-base.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/container-base.c
@@ -31,9 +31,11 @@ int vfio_container_dma_unmap(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer,
     return bcontainer->ops->dma_unmap(bcontainer, iova, size, iotlb);
 }
 
-void vfio_container_init(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer, const VFIOIOMMUOps *ops)
+void vfio_container_init(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer, VFIOAddressSpace *space,
+                         const VFIOIOMMUOps *ops)
 {
     bcontainer->ops = ops;
+    bcontainer->space = space;
     QLIST_INIT(&bcontainer->giommu_list);
 }
 
@@ -41,6 +43,8 @@ void vfio_container_destroy(VFIOContainerBase *bcontainer)
 {
     VFIOGuestIOMMU *giommu, *tmp;
 
+    QLIST_REMOVE(bcontainer, next);
+
     QLIST_FOREACH_SAFE(giommu, &bcontainer->giommu_list, giommu_next, tmp) {
         memory_region_unregister_iommu_notifier(
                 MEMORY_REGION(giommu->iommu_mr), &giommu->n);
diff --git a/hw/vfio/container.c b/hw/vfio/container.c
index 133d3c8f5c08e6476cebb3c707ebd115a068af2d..f12fcb6fe11d578838b1052f70ee5099b9018e94 100644
--- a/hw/vfio/container.c
+++ b/hw/vfio/container.c
@@ -514,7 +514,8 @@ static int vfio_connect_container(VFIOGroup *group, AddressSpace *as,
      * details once we know which type of IOMMU we are using.
      */
 
-    QLIST_FOREACH(container, &space->containers, next) {
+    QLIST_FOREACH(bcontainer, &space->containers, next) {
+        container = container_of(bcontainer, VFIOContainer, bcontainer);
         if (!ioctl(group->fd, VFIO_GROUP_SET_CONTAINER, &container->fd)) {
             ret = vfio_ram_block_discard_disable(container, true);
             if (ret) {
@@ -550,7 +551,6 @@ static int vfio_connect_container(VFIOGroup *group, AddressSpace *as,
     }
 
     container = g_malloc0(sizeof(*container));
-    container->space = space;
     container->fd = fd;
     container->error = NULL;
     container->dirty_pages_supported = false;
@@ -558,7 +558,7 @@ static int vfio_connect_container(VFIOGroup *group, AddressSpace *as,
     container->iova_ranges = NULL;
     QLIST_INIT(&container->vrdl_list);
     bcontainer = &container->bcontainer;
-    vfio_container_init(bcontainer, &vfio_legacy_ops);
+    vfio_container_init(bcontainer, space, &vfio_legacy_ops);
 
     ret = vfio_init_container(container, group->fd, errp);
     if (ret) {
@@ -613,14 +613,14 @@ static int vfio_connect_container(VFIOGroup *group, AddressSpace *as,
     vfio_kvm_device_add_group(group);
 
     QLIST_INIT(&container->group_list);
-    QLIST_INSERT_HEAD(&space->containers, container, next);
+    QLIST_INSERT_HEAD(&space->containers, bcontainer, next);
 
     group->container = container;
     QLIST_INSERT_HEAD(&container->group_list, group, container_next);
 
     container->listener = vfio_memory_listener;
 
-    memory_listener_register(&container->listener, container->space->as);
+    memory_listener_register(&container->listener, bcontainer->space->as);
 
     if (container->error) {
         ret = -1;
@@ -634,7 +634,7 @@ static int vfio_connect_container(VFIOGroup *group, AddressSpace *as,
     return 0;
 listener_release_exit:
     QLIST_REMOVE(group, container_next);
-    QLIST_REMOVE(container, next);
+    QLIST_REMOVE(bcontainer, next);
     vfio_kvm_device_del_group(group);
     memory_listener_unregister(&container->listener);
     if (container->iommu_type == VFIO_SPAPR_TCE_v2_IOMMU ||
@@ -684,9 +684,7 @@ static void vfio_disconnect_container(VFIOGroup *group)
     }
 
     if (QLIST_EMPTY(&container->group_list)) {
-        VFIOAddressSpace *space = container->space;
-
-        QLIST_REMOVE(container, next);
+        VFIOAddressSpace *space = bcontainer->space;
 
         vfio_container_destroy(bcontainer);
 
@@ -707,7 +705,7 @@ static VFIOGroup *vfio_get_group(int groupid, AddressSpace *as, Error **errp)
     QLIST_FOREACH(group, &vfio_group_list, next) {
         if (group->groupid == groupid) {
             /* Found it.  Now is it already in the right context? */
-            if (group->container->space->as == as) {
+            if (group->container->bcontainer.space->as == as) {
                 return group;
             } else {
                 error_setg(errp, "group %d used in multiple address spaces",
