diff --git a/src/builtins.c b/src/builtins.c
index e6472457cb6a9..f8832e0ac952b 100644
--- a/src/builtins.c
+++ b/src/builtins.c
@@ -1786,7 +1786,7 @@ static int equiv_field_types(jl_value_t *old, jl_value_t *ft)
         jl_value_t *ta = jl_svecref(old, i);
         jl_value_t *tb = jl_svecref(ft, i);
         if (jl_has_free_typevars(ta)) {
-            if (!jl_has_free_typevars(tb) || !jl_egal(ta, tb))
+            if (!jl_has_free_typevars(tb) || !jl_types_egal(ta, tb))
                 return 0;
         }
         else if (jl_has_free_typevars(tb) || jl_typetagof(ta) != jl_typetagof(tb) ||
diff --git a/test/core.jl b/test/core.jl
index 7245b488624b0..1f66d72c40c5e 100644
--- a/test/core.jl
+++ b/test/core.jl
@@ -111,6 +111,21 @@ let abcd = ABCDconst(1, 2, 3, 4)
         abcd.d = nothing)
     @test (1, 2, "not constant", 4) === (abcd.a, abcd.b, abcd.c, abcd.d)
 end
+# Issue #52686
+struct A52686{T} end
+struct B52686{T, S}
+    a::A52686{<:T}
+end
+function func52686()
+    @eval begin
+        struct A52686{T} end
+        struct B52686{T, S}
+            a::A52686{<:T}
+        end
+    end
+    return true
+end
+@test func52686()
 
 # test `===` handling null pointer in struct #44712
 struct N44712