diff --git a/obs-packaging/create-repo-branch.sh b/obs-packaging/create-repo-branch.sh
index b8cd446c4e..1e2ce426aa 100755
--- a/obs-packaging/create-repo-branch.sh
+++ b/obs-packaging/create-repo-branch.sh
@@ -177,6 +177,7 @@ main() {
 	info "Creating/Updating project with name ${project_branch}"
 	# Update /Create project metadata.
 	docker_run osc meta prj "${project_branch}" -F meta_project.xml
+	docker_run osc meta prjconf "${project_branch}" -F projectconfig
 	for pkg in "${OBS_PKGS_PROJECTS[@]}"; do
 		if ! pkg_exist "${project_branch}" "${pkg}"; then
 			echo "Package ${pkg} does not exit in ${project_branch}, creating ..."
diff --git a/obs-packaging/distros_x86_64 b/obs-packaging/distros_x86_64
index e2fd5f06e2..f4c769a9f0 100644
--- a/obs-packaging/distros_x86_64
+++ b/obs-packaging/distros_x86_64
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 #   name::project::repository
 #
 CentOS_7::CentOS:CentOS-7::standard
+CentOS_8::CentOS:CentOS-8::standard
 Debian_9::Debian:9.0::standard
 # Qemu vanilla is broken see https://github.com/kata-containers/packaging/issues/1051
 #Debian_10::Debian:10::standard
diff --git a/obs-packaging/linux-container/kata-linux-container.spec-template b/obs-packaging/linux-container/kata-linux-container.spec-template
index 16ed179f33..0d0c062df1 100644
--- a/obs-packaging/linux-container/kata-linux-container.spec-template
+++ b/obs-packaging/linux-container/kata-linux-container.spec-template
@@ -30,10 +30,14 @@ BuildRequires:  libelf-devel
 BuildRequires: fdupes
 %endif
 
-%if 0%{?fedora} || 0%{?centos_version}
+%if 0%{?fedora} || 0%{?centos} <= 7
 BuildRequires:  pkgconfig(libelf)
 %endif
 
+%if 0%{?centos} >= 8
+BuildRequires: elfutils-libelf-devel
+%endif
+
 BuildRequires:  make >= 3.78
 BuildRequires:  openssl-devel
 BuildRequires:  flex
diff --git a/obs-packaging/projectconfig b/obs-packaging/projectconfig
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0663c1b53f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/obs-packaging/projectconfig
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+ExpandFlags: module:python36-3.6
diff --git a/obs-packaging/qemu-vanilla/qemu-vanilla.spec-template b/obs-packaging/qemu-vanilla/qemu-vanilla.spec-template
index 584854cd27..38c61a923d 100644
--- a/obs-packaging/qemu-vanilla/qemu-vanilla.spec-template
+++ b/obs-packaging/qemu-vanilla/qemu-vanilla.spec-template
@@ -43,8 +43,14 @@ BuildRequires : libnuma-devel
 %else
 BuildRequires : numactl-devel
 %endif
+
+%if 0%{?centos} < 8
 BuildRequires : python
 BuildRequires : python-devel
+%else
+BuildRequires : python3
+BuildRequires : python3-devel
+%endif
 BuildRequires : zlib-devel
 BuildRequires : pkgconfig(pixman-1)
 BuildRequires : libpmem-devel