diff --git a/tests/avocado/boot_freebsd.py b/tests/avocado/boot_freebsd.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c01cd06cca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/avocado/boot_freebsd.py
@@ -0,0 +1,174 @@
+# Functional tests that boot FreeBSD in various configurations
+#
+# Copyright (c) 2023 IBM Corporation
+#
+# This work is licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL, version 2 or
+# later. See the COPYING file in the top-level directory.
+
+import os
+import subprocess
+
+from avocado import skipUnless
+from avocado_qemu import QemuSystemTest
+from avocado_qemu import wait_for_console_pattern
+from avocado_qemu import exec_command
+from avocado.utils import archive
+from avocado.utils import process
+from avocado.utils.path import find_command
+
+@skipUnless(os.getenv('AVOCADO_ALLOW_LARGE_STORAGE'), 'storage limited')
+@skipUnless(os.getenv('SPEED') == 'slow', 'runtime limited')
+class BootFreeBSDPPC64(QemuSystemTest):
+    """
+    :avocado: tags=arch:ppc64
+    """
+
+    timeout = 360
+
+    def setUp(self):
+        super().setUp()
+
+        # We need zstd for all the tests
+        # See https://github.com/avocado-framework/avocado/issues/5609
+        zstd = find_command('zstd', False)
+        if zstd is False:
+            self.cancel('Could not find "zstd", which is required to '
+                        'decompress rootfs')
+        tar = find_command('tar', False)
+        if tar is False:
+            self.cancel('Could not find "tar", which is required to '
+                        'decompress rootfs')
+
+        drive_url = ('https://artifact.ci.freebsd.org/snapshot/15.0-CURRENT/8a735ffdf04936c6785ac4fa31486639262dd416/powerpc/powerpc64le/disk.qcow2.zst')
+        drive_hash = '95d863dbbc4b60f4899d1ef21d6489fca05bf03d'
+        drive_path_zstd = self.fetch_asset(drive_url, asset_hash=drive_hash)
+        self.drive_path = os.path.join(self.workdir, 'disk.qcow2')
+
+        cmd = f"{zstd} -d {drive_path_zstd} -o {self.drive_path}"
+        process.run(cmd)
+
+        kernel_url = ('https://artifact.ci.freebsd.org/snapshot/15.0-CURRENT/8a735ffdf04936c6785ac4fa31486639262dd416/powerpc/powerpc64le/kernel.txz')
+        kernel_hash = '31d14c2dc658858830a7acab5128a5b91ea548cf'
+        kernel_path_txz = self.fetch_asset(kernel_url, asset_hash=kernel_hash)
+        self.kernel_path = os.path.join(self.workdir, 'kernel')
+
+        with open(self.kernel_path, "w") as outfile:
+            cmd = f"{tar} OJxf {kernel_path_txz} ./boot/kernel/kernel"
+            subprocess.run(cmd.split(), stdout=outfile)
+
+    def set_pseries_devices(self):
+        self.vm.add_args('-drive', f"file={self.drive_path},format=qcow2,if=virtio")
+        self.vm.add_args('-net', 'nic,model=virtio')
+
+    def set_powernv_devices(self):
+        self.vm.add_args('-device', 'nvme,bus=pcie.2,addr=0x0,serial=1234,drive=drive0',
+                         '-device', 'e1000e,netdev=net0,mac=C0:FF:EE:00:00:02,bus=pcie.0,addr=0x0',
+                         '-netdev', 'user,id=net0,hostfwd=::20022-:22,hostname=freebsd')
+        self.vm.add_args("-drive", f"file={self.drive_path},format=qcow2,if=none,id=drive0")
+        self.vm.add_args("-kernel", self.kernel_path)
+
+    def run_pseries_test(self, force_HPT=False):
+        if force_HPT:
+            self.vm.add_args('-m', '4g')
+        else:
+            self.vm.add_args('-m', '1g')
+        self.vm.add_args('-smp', '4')
+        self.set_pseries_devices()
+        self.vm.set_console()
+        self.vm.launch()
+
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'Hit [Enter] to boot immediately, or any other key for command prompt.')
+        if force_HPT:
+            exec_command(self, 'x')
+            wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'OK')
+            exec_command(self, 'set radix_mmu=0')
+            exec_command(self, 'boot')
+            wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'cas: selected hash MMU', 'panic:')
+        else:
+            exec_command(self, '')
+            wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'cas: selected radix MMU', 'panic:')
+
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'FreeBSD 15.0-CURRENT', 'panic:')
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'FreeBSD/SMP: Multiprocessor System Detected: 4 CPUs', 'panic:')
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'FreeBSD/powerpc (Amnesiac) (ttyu0)', 'panic:')
+        exec_command(self, 'root')
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'resizewin: timeout reading from terminal')
+        exec_command(self, 'poweroff')
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'Uptime:', 'panic:')
+        self.vm.wait()
+
+    # powernv does not have a bootloader so must load the kernel directly
+    # and work around manual specification of the root device. Also can't
+    # specify options like radix_mmu the same way (todo: work out how it
+    # is done, and add HPT test).
+    def run_powernv_test(self, force_HPT=False):
+        self.vm.add_args('-m', '8g')
+        self.vm.add_args('-smp', '4')
+        self.set_powernv_devices()
+        self.vm.set_console()
+        self.vm.launch()
+
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'FreeBSD 15.0-CURRENT', 'panic:')
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'FreeBSD/SMP: Multiprocessor System Detected: 4 CPUs', 'panic:')
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, '<empty line>    Abort manual input')
+        exec_command(self, 'ufs:diskid/DISK-1234s3')
+
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'FreeBSD/powerpc (Amnesiac) (ttyu0)', 'panic:')
+        exec_command(self, 'root')
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'resizewin: timeout reading from terminal')
+        exec_command(self, 'poweroff')
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'Uptime:', 'panic:')
+        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'OPAL: Shutdown request', 'panic:')
+        self.vm.wait()
+
+    def test_pseries_tcg(self):
+        """
+        :avocado: tags=arch:ppc64
+        :avocado: tags=machine:pseries
+        :avocado: tags=accel:tcg
+        """
+        self.require_accelerator("tcg")
+        self.vm.add_args("-cpu", "power10")
+        self.vm.add_args("-accel", "tcg,thread=multi")
+        self.run_pseries_test()
+
+    def test_pseries_hpt_tcg(self):
+        """
+        :avocado: tags=arch:ppc64
+        :avocado: tags=machine:pseries
+        :avocado: tags=accel:tcg
+        """
+        self.require_accelerator("tcg")
+        self.vm.add_args("-accel", "tcg,thread=multi")
+        self.run_pseries_test(force_HPT=True)
+
+    def test_pseries_kvm(self):
+        """
+        :avocado: tags=arch:ppc64
+        :avocado: tags=machine:pseries
+        :avocado: tags=accel:kvm
+        """
+        self.require_accelerator("kvm")
+        self.vm.add_args("-accel", "kvm")
+        self.run_pseries_test()
+
+    def test_pseries_hpt_kvm(self):
+        """
+        :avocado: tags=arch:ppc64
+        :avocado: tags=machine:pseries
+        :avocado: tags=accel:kvm
+        """
+        self.require_accelerator("kvm")
+        self.vm.add_args("-accel", "kvm")
+        self.run_pseries_test(force_HPT=True)
+
+    # powernv9 works, powernv10 fails
+    def test_powernv(self):
+        """
+        :avocado: tags=arch:ppc64
+        :avocado: tags=machine:powernv9
+        :avocado: tags=accel:tcg
+        """
+        self.require_accelerator("tcg")
+        self.vm.add_args("-accel", "tcg,thread=multi")
+        self.run_powernv_test()
