diff --git a/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation.go b/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation.go
index ea8d0be34d3..74c09ad3d44 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation.go
@@ -2913,6 +2913,20 @@ func ValidatePod(pod *core.Pod) field.ErrorList {
 	// this was done to preserve backwards compatibility
 	specPath := field.NewPath("spec")
 
+	if pod.Spec.ServiceAccountName == "" {
+		for vi, volume := range pod.Spec.Volumes {
+			path := specPath.Child("volumes").Index(vi).Child("projected")
+			if volume.Projected != nil {
+				for si, source := range volume.Projected.Sources {
+					saPath := path.Child("sources").Index(si).Child("serviceAccountToken")
+					if source.ServiceAccountToken != nil {
+						allErrs = append(allErrs, field.Forbidden(saPath, "must not be specified when serviceAccountName is not set"))
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	allErrs = append(allErrs, validateContainersOnlyForPod(pod.Spec.Containers, specPath.Child("containers"))...)
 	allErrs = append(allErrs, validateContainersOnlyForPod(pod.Spec.InitContainers, specPath.Child("initContainers"))...)
 
diff --git a/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation_test.go b/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation_test.go
index 9b376426d4b..beeb77089ad 100644
--- a/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation_test.go
+++ b/pkg/apis/core/validation/validation_test.go
@@ -7670,6 +7670,35 @@ func TestValidatePod(t *testing.T) {
 				},
 			},
 		},
+		"serviceaccount token projected volume with no serviceaccount name specified": {
+			expectedError: "must not be specified when serviceAccountName is not set",
+			spec: core.Pod{
+				ObjectMeta: metav1.ObjectMeta{Name: "123", Namespace: "ns"},
+				Spec: core.PodSpec{
+					Containers:    []core.Container{{Name: "ctr", Image: "image", ImagePullPolicy: "IfNotPresent", TerminationMessagePolicy: "File"}},
+					RestartPolicy: core.RestartPolicyAlways,
+					DNSPolicy:     core.DNSClusterFirst,
+					Volumes: []core.Volume{
+						{
+							Name: "projected-volume",
+							VolumeSource: core.VolumeSource{
+								Projected: &core.ProjectedVolumeSource{
+									Sources: []core.VolumeProjection{
+										{
+											ServiceAccountToken: &core.ServiceAccountTokenProjection{
+												Audience:          "foo-audience",
+												ExpirationSeconds: 6000,
+												Path:              "foo-path",
+											},
+										},
+									},
+								},
+							},
+						},
+					},
+				},
+			},
+		},
 	}
 	for k, v := range errorCases {
 		if errs := ValidatePod(&v.spec); len(errs) == 0 {