diff --git a/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/connection/client/AuthSessionHandler.java b/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/connection/client/AuthSessionHandler.java
index 605388ea30..2025b2e57d 100644
--- a/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/connection/client/AuthSessionHandler.java
+++ b/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/connection/client/AuthSessionHandler.java
@@ -100,13 +100,16 @@ public void activated() {
       ConnectedPlayer player = new ConnectedPlayer(server, profileEvent.getGameProfile(),
           mcConnection, inbound.getVirtualHost().orElse(null), inbound.getRawVirtualHost().orElse(null), onlineMode,
           inbound.getHandshakeIntent(), inbound.getIdentifiedKey());
-      this.connectedPlayer = player;
       if (!server.canRegisterConnection(player)) {
         player.disconnect0(
             Component.translatable("velocity.error.already-connected-proxy", NamedTextColor.RED),
             true);
         return CompletableFuture.completedFuture(null);
       }
+      // Only take teardown ownership after the duplicate login gate passes.
+      // Before this point, a rejected preregistration connection must not run
+      // ConnectedPlayer teardown.
+      this.connectedPlayer = player;
 
       if (server.getConfiguration().isLogPlayerConnections()) {
         logger.info("{} has connected", player);
diff --git a/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/protocol/packet/config/ClientboundCustomReportDetailsPacket.java b/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/protocol/packet/config/ClientboundCustomReportDetailsPacket.java
index c51c5ff20d..05f535d42c 100644
--- a/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/protocol/packet/config/ClientboundCustomReportDetailsPacket.java
+++ b/proxy/src/main/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/protocol/packet/config/ClientboundCustomReportDetailsPacket.java
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
 import com.velocitypowered.proxy.protocol.MinecraftPacket;
 import com.velocitypowered.proxy.protocol.ProtocolUtils;
 import io.netty.buffer.ByteBuf;
-import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Map;
 
 public class ClientboundCustomReportDetailsPacket implements MinecraftPacket {
diff --git a/proxy/src/test/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/connection/client/AuthSessionHandlerTest.java b/proxy/src/test/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/connection/client/AuthSessionHandlerTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..456fdde726
--- /dev/null
+++ b/proxy/src/test/java/com/velocitypowered/proxy/connection/client/AuthSessionHandlerTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2026 Velocity Contributors
+ *
+ * This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+ * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+ * the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
+ * (at your option) any later version.
+ *
+ * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+ * but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+ * MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+ * GNU General Public License for more details.
+ *
+ * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+ * along with this program.  If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+ */
+
+package com.velocitypowered.proxy.connection.client;
+
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.any;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.doAnswer;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.never;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.verify;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;
+
+import com.velocitypowered.api.network.HandshakeIntent;
+import com.velocitypowered.api.network.ProtocolVersion;
+import com.velocitypowered.api.util.GameProfile;
+import com.velocitypowered.proxy.VelocityServer;
+import com.velocitypowered.proxy.config.PlayerInfoForwarding;
+import com.velocitypowered.proxy.config.VelocityConfiguration;
+import com.velocitypowered.proxy.connection.ConnectionTypes;
+import com.velocitypowered.proxy.connection.MinecraftConnection;
+import com.velocitypowered.proxy.event.MockEventManager;
+import com.velocitypowered.proxy.protocol.StateRegistry;
+import io.netty.channel.EventLoop;
+import java.lang.reflect.Field;
+import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.UUID;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+class AuthSessionHandlerTest {
+
+  @Test
+  void duplicateLoginRejectedBeforeOwnershipDoesNotTeardown() {
+    TestHarness harness = new TestHarness();
+    when(harness.server.canRegisterConnection(any())).thenReturn(false);
+
+    harness.handler.activated();
+    harness.handler.disconnected();
+
+    verify(harness.server, never()).unregisterConnection(any());
+    verify(harness.inbound).cleanup();
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  void disconnectedWithOwnedPlayerStillTeardowns() throws ReflectiveOperationException {
+    TestHarness harness = new TestHarness();
+    ConnectedPlayer player = mock(ConnectedPlayer.class);
+    setConnectedPlayer(harness.handler, player);
+
+    harness.handler.disconnected();
+
+    verify(player).teardown();
+    verify(harness.inbound).cleanup();
+  }
+
+  private static void setConnectedPlayer(AuthSessionHandler handler, ConnectedPlayer player)
+      throws ReflectiveOperationException {
+    Field field = AuthSessionHandler.class.getDeclaredField("connectedPlayer");
+    field.setAccessible(true);
+    field.set(handler, player);
+  }
+
+  private static EventLoop immediateEventLoop() {
+    EventLoop eventLoop = mock(EventLoop.class);
+    doAnswer(invocation -> {
+      ((Runnable) invocation.getArgument(0)).run();
+      return null;
+    }).when(eventLoop).execute(any(Runnable.class));
+    return eventLoop;
+  }
+
+  private static final class TestHarness {
+
+    private final VelocityServer server = mock(VelocityServer.class);
+    private final VelocityConfiguration configuration = mock(VelocityConfiguration.class);
+    private final MockEventManager eventManager = new MockEventManager();
+    private final LoginInboundConnection inbound = mock(LoginInboundConnection.class);
+    private final MinecraftConnection connection = mock(MinecraftConnection.class);
+    private final AuthSessionHandler handler;
+
+    private TestHarness() {
+      EventLoop eventLoop = immediateEventLoop();
+      when(server.getConfiguration()).thenReturn(configuration);
+      when(server.getEventManager()).thenReturn(eventManager);
+      when(server.getPlayer(any(UUID.class))).thenReturn(Optional.empty());
+      when(configuration.getPlayerInfoForwardingMode()).thenReturn(PlayerInfoForwarding.NONE);
+      when(configuration.isLogPlayerConnections()).thenReturn(false);
+
+      when(inbound.delegatedConnection()).thenReturn(connection);
+      when(inbound.getVirtualHost()).thenReturn(Optional.empty());
+      when(inbound.getRawVirtualHost()).thenReturn(Optional.empty());
+      when(inbound.getHandshakeIntent()).thenReturn(HandshakeIntent.LOGIN);
+      when(inbound.getIdentifiedKey()).thenReturn(null);
+
+      when(connection.getType()).thenReturn(ConnectionTypes.VANILLA);
+      when(connection.getProtocolVersion()).thenReturn(ProtocolVersion.MINECRAFT_1_20_2);
+      when(connection.eventLoop()).thenReturn(eventLoop);
+      when(connection.isClosed()).thenReturn(false);
+      when(connection.getState()).thenReturn(StateRegistry.LOGIN);
+
+      handler = new AuthSessionHandler(
+          server,
+          inbound,
+          GameProfile.forOfflinePlayer("test-player"),
+          false,
+          null);
+    }
+  }
+}