diff --git a/projects/igniteui-angular/src/lib/combo/combo.common.ts b/projects/igniteui-angular/src/lib/combo/combo.common.ts
index d223f8e7e39..23afbbea5c5 100644
--- a/projects/igniteui-angular/src/lib/combo/combo.common.ts
+++ b/projects/igniteui-angular/src/lib/combo/combo.common.ts
@@ -1218,6 +1218,9 @@ export abstract class IgxComboBaseDirective extends DisplayDensityBase implement
     /** @hidden @internal */
     public handleClosed() {
         this.closed.emit({ owner: this });
+        if(this.comboInput.nativeElement !== document.activeElement){
+            this.validateComboState();
+        }
     }
 
     /** @hidden @internal */
@@ -1257,14 +1260,15 @@ export abstract class IgxComboBaseDirective extends DisplayDensityBase implement
     public onBlur() {
         if (this.collapsed) {
             this._onTouchedCallback();
-            if (this.ngControl && this.ngControl.invalid) {
-                this.valid = IgxInputState.INVALID;
-            } else {
-                this.valid = IgxInputState.INITIAL;
-            }
+            this.validateComboState();
         }
     }
 
+    /** @hidden @internal */
+    public onFocus(): void {
+        this._onTouchedCallback();
+    }
+
     /** @hidden @internal */
     public setActiveDescendant(): void {
         this.activeDescendant = this.dropdown.focusedItem?.id || '';
@@ -1289,6 +1293,14 @@ export abstract class IgxComboBaseDirective extends DisplayDensityBase implement
         this.manageRequiredAsterisk();
     };
 
+    private validateComboState() {
+        if (this.ngControl && this.ngControl.invalid) {
+            this.valid = IgxInputState.INVALID;
+        } else {
+            this.valid = IgxInputState.INITIAL;
+        }
+    }
+
     private get isTouchedOrDirty(): boolean {
         return (this.ngControl.control.touched || this.ngControl.control.dirty);
     }
diff --git a/projects/igniteui-angular/src/lib/combo/combo.component.html b/projects/igniteui-angular/src/lib/combo/combo.component.html
index a1cf5445d94..ea5834c7b4a 100644
--- a/projects/igniteui-angular/src/lib/combo/combo.component.html
+++ b/projects/igniteui-angular/src/lib/combo/combo.component.html
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@
             role="combobox" aria-haspopup="listbox"
             [attr.aria-expanded]="!dropdown.collapsed" [attr.aria-controls]="dropdown.listId"
             [attr.aria-labelledby]="ariaLabelledBy || label?.id || placeholder"
-            (blur)="onBlur()" />
+            (blur)="onBlur()"
+            (focus)="onFocus()" />
     <ng-container ngProjectAs="igx-suffix">
         <ng-content select="igx-suffix"></ng-content>
     </ng-container>
diff --git a/projects/igniteui-angular/src/lib/combo/combo.component.spec.ts b/projects/igniteui-angular/src/lib/combo/combo.component.spec.ts
index 65ceb5fc5dc..34fcd5529d3 100644
--- a/projects/igniteui-angular/src/lib/combo/combo.component.spec.ts
+++ b/projects/igniteui-angular/src/lib/combo/combo.component.spec.ts
@@ -3416,6 +3416,27 @@ describe('igxCombo', () => {
                     expect(combo.valid).toEqual(IgxInputState.INITIAL);
                     expect(combo.comboInput.valid).toEqual(IgxInputState.INITIAL);
                 }));
+                it('should mark as touched and invalid when combo is focused, dropdown appears, and user clicks away without selection', fakeAsync(() => {
+                    const ngModel = fixture.debugElement.query(By.directive(NgModel)).injector.get(NgModel);
+                    expect(combo.valid).toEqual(IgxInputState.INITIAL);
+                    expect(combo.comboInput.valid).toEqual(IgxInputState.INITIAL);
+                    expect(ngModel.touched).toBeFalse();
+
+                    combo.open();
+                    input.triggerEventHandler('focus', {});
+                    fixture.detectChanges();
+                    expect(ngModel.touched).toBeTrue();
+                    const documentClickEvent = new MouseEvent('click', { bubbles: true });
+                    document.body.dispatchEvent(documentClickEvent);
+                    fixture.detectChanges();
+                    tick();
+                    document.body.focus();
+                    fixture.detectChanges();
+                    tick();
+                    expect(combo.valid).toEqual(IgxInputState.INVALID);
+                    expect(combo.comboInput.valid).toEqual(IgxInputState.INVALID);
+                    expect(ngModel.touched).toBeTrue();
+                }));
             });
         });
         describe('Display density', () => {
@@ -3627,7 +3648,7 @@ class IgxComboFormComponent {
 @Component({
     template: `
     <form #form="ngForm">
-        <igx-combo #testCombo class="input-container" [placeholder]="'Locations'"
+        <igx-combo #testCombo #testComboNgModel="ngModel" class="input-container" [placeholder]="'Locations'"
             name="anyName" required [(ngModel)]="values"
             [data]="items" [filterable]="filterableFlag"
             [displayKey]="'field'" [valueKey]="'field'"