diff --git a/pkg/types/gcp/validation/machinepool.go b/pkg/types/gcp/validation/machinepool.go
index 39a244701a3..1d2d68ae17a 100644
--- a/pkg/types/gcp/validation/machinepool.go
+++ b/pkg/types/gcp/validation/machinepool.go
@@ -76,3 +76,30 @@ func ValidateDefaultDiskType(p *gcp.MachinePool, fldPath *field.Path) field.Erro
 
 	return allErrs
 }
+
+// ValidateOSImageForSovereignCloud checks that an OS image is specified for sovereign cloud environments.
+func ValidateOSImageForSovereignCloud(platform *gcp.Platform, pool *gcp.MachinePool, fldPath *field.Path) field.ErrorList {
+	allErrs := field.ErrorList{}
+
+	if gcp.GetCloudEnvironment(platform.ProjectID) != gcp.CloudEnvironmentSovereign {
+		return allErrs
+	}
+
+	if pool == nil || pool.OSImage == nil {
+		allErrs = append(allErrs, field.Required(fldPath.Child("osImage"),
+			"must specify an OS image for sovereign cloud environments (domain-scoped project ID)"))
+		return allErrs
+	}
+
+	osImagePath := fldPath.Child("osImage")
+	if pool.OSImage.Name == "" {
+		allErrs = append(allErrs, field.Required(osImagePath.Child("name"),
+			"must specify an OS image name for sovereign cloud environments"))
+	}
+	if pool.OSImage.Project == "" {
+		allErrs = append(allErrs, field.Required(osImagePath.Child("project"),
+			"must specify an OS image project for sovereign cloud environments"))
+	}
+
+	return allErrs
+}
diff --git a/pkg/types/gcp/validation/machinepool_test.go b/pkg/types/gcp/validation/machinepool_test.go
index 2547429f0cf..399d8abba7c 100644
--- a/pkg/types/gcp/validation/machinepool_test.go
+++ b/pkg/types/gcp/validation/machinepool_test.go
@@ -9,6 +9,67 @@ import (
 	"github.com/openshift/installer/pkg/types/gcp"
 )
 
+func TestValidateOSImageForSovereignCloud(t *testing.T) {
+	validOSImage := &gcp.OSImage{Name: "my-image", Project: "my-project"}
+
+	cases := []struct {
+		name          string
+		platform      *gcp.Platform
+		pool          *gcp.MachinePool
+		expectedError string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:     "non-sovereign cloud skips validation",
+			platform: &gcp.Platform{ProjectID: "my-project"},
+			pool:     &gcp.MachinePool{},
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "sovereign cloud with os image on pool",
+			platform: &gcp.Platform{ProjectID: "eu0:my-project"},
+			pool:     &gcp.MachinePool{OSImage: validOSImage},
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "sovereign cloud missing os image on pool",
+			platform:      &gcp.Platform{ProjectID: "eu0:my-project"},
+			pool:          &gcp.MachinePool{},
+			expectedError: `test-path.osImage: Required value: must specify an OS image for sovereign cloud environments (domain-scoped project ID)`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "sovereign cloud nil pool",
+			platform:      &gcp.Platform{ProjectID: "eu0:my-project"},
+			pool:          nil,
+			expectedError: `test-path.osImage: Required value: must specify an OS image for sovereign cloud environments (domain-scoped project ID)`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "sovereign cloud os image missing name",
+			platform:      &gcp.Platform{ProjectID: "eu0:my-project"},
+			pool:          &gcp.MachinePool{OSImage: &gcp.OSImage{Project: "my-project"}},
+			expectedError: `test-path.osImage.name: Required value: must specify an OS image name for sovereign cloud environments`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:          "sovereign cloud os image missing project",
+			platform:      &gcp.Platform{ProjectID: "eu0:my-project"},
+			pool:          &gcp.MachinePool{OSImage: &gcp.OSImage{Name: "my-image"}},
+			expectedError: `test-path.osImage.project: Required value: must specify an OS image project for sovereign cloud environments`,
+		},
+		{
+			name:     "org-scoped project ID is not sovereign",
+			platform: &gcp.Platform{ProjectID: "myorg:my-project"},
+			pool:     &gcp.MachinePool{},
+		},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			err := ValidateOSImageForSovereignCloud(tc.platform, tc.pool, field.NewPath("test-path")).ToAggregate()
+			if tc.expectedError == "" {
+				assert.NoError(t, err)
+			} else {
+				assert.EqualError(t, err, tc.expectedError)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
 func TestValidateMachinePool(t *testing.T) {
 	platform := &gcp.Platform{Region: "us-east1"}
 	cases := []struct {
diff --git a/pkg/types/validation/machinepools.go b/pkg/types/validation/machinepools.go
index 160e58a2d65..0e58627ef2d 100644
--- a/pkg/types/validation/machinepools.go
+++ b/pkg/types/validation/machinepools.go
@@ -162,6 +162,9 @@ func validateMachinePoolPlatform(platform *types.Platform, p *types.MachinePoolP
 			return azurevalidation.ValidateMachinePool(p.Azure, pool.Name, platform.Azure, pool, f)
 		})
 	}
+	if platform.GCP != nil {
+		allErrs = append(allErrs, gcpvalidation.ValidateOSImageForSovereignCloud(platform.GCP, p.GCP, fldPath.Child("gcp"))...)
+	}
 	if p.GCP != nil {
 		validate(gcp.Name, p.GCP, func(f *field.Path) field.ErrorList { return validateGCPMachinePool(platform, p, pool, f) })
 	}