diff --git a/packages/core/test/bundling/router/bundle.golden_symbols.json b/packages/core/test/bundling/router/bundle.golden_symbols.json
index 5e48e7f1e548..6dc7f0c90aed 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/bundling/router/bundle.golden_symbols.json
+++ b/packages/core/test/bundling/router/bundle.golden_symbols.json
@@ -1106,6 +1106,9 @@
   {
     "name": "createUrlTreeFromSegmentGroup"
   },
+  {
+    "name": "createWildcardMatchResult"
+  },
   {
     "name": "deactivateRouteAndItsChildren"
   },
diff --git a/packages/router/src/recognize.ts b/packages/router/src/recognize.ts
index c5a3854edd90..0a8bdfc87ae8 100644
--- a/packages/router/src/recognize.ts
+++ b/packages/router/src/recognize.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 
 import {EnvironmentInjector, Type, ɵRuntimeError as RuntimeError} from '@angular/core';
 import {from, Observable, of} from 'rxjs';
-import {catchError, concatMap, defaultIfEmpty, first, last, map, mergeMap, scan, switchMap, tap} from 'rxjs/operators';
+import {catchError, concatMap, defaultIfEmpty, first, last as rxjsLast, map, mergeMap, scan, switchMap, tap} from 'rxjs/operators';
 
 import {AbsoluteRedirect, ApplyRedirects, canLoadFails, noMatch, NoMatch} from './apply_redirects';
 import {createUrlTreeFromSnapshot} from './create_url_tree';
@@ -19,8 +19,9 @@ import {RouterConfigLoader} from './router_config_loader';
 import {ActivatedRouteSnapshot, getInherited, ParamsInheritanceStrategy, RouterStateSnapshot} from './router_state';
 import {PRIMARY_OUTLET} from './shared';
 import {UrlSegment, UrlSegmentGroup, UrlSerializer, UrlTree} from './url_tree';
+import {last} from './utils/collection';
 import {getOutlet, sortByMatchingOutlets} from './utils/config';
-import {isImmediateMatch, match, matchWithChecks, noLeftoversInUrl, split} from './utils/config_matching';
+import {isImmediateMatch, match, MatchResult, matchWithChecks, noLeftoversInUrl, split} from './utils/config_matching';
 import {TreeNode} from './utils/tree';
 import {isEmptyError} from './utils/type_guards';
 
@@ -161,7 +162,7 @@ export class Recognizer {
               return children;
             }),
             defaultIfEmpty(null as TreeNode<ActivatedRouteSnapshot>[] | null),
-            last(),
+            rxjsLast(),
             mergeMap(children => {
               if (children === null) return noMatch(segmentGroup);
               // Because we may have matched two outlets to the same empty path segment, we can have
@@ -234,7 +235,8 @@ export class Recognizer {
       consumedSegments,
       positionalParamSegments,
       remainingSegments,
-    } = match(segmentGroup, route, segments);
+    } = route.path === '**' ? createWildcardMatchResult(segments) :
+                              match(segmentGroup, route, segments);
     if (!matched) return noMatch(segmentGroup);
 
     // TODO(atscott): Move all of this under an if(ngDevMode) as a breaking change and allow stack
@@ -266,13 +268,17 @@ export class Recognizer {
   matchSegmentAgainstRoute(
       injector: EnvironmentInjector, rawSegment: UrlSegmentGroup, route: Route,
       segments: UrlSegment[], outlet: string): Observable<TreeNode<ActivatedRouteSnapshot>> {
-    const matchResult = matchWithChecks(rawSegment, route, segments, injector, this.urlSerializer);
+    let matchResult: Observable<MatchResult>;
+
     if (route.path === '**') {
+      matchResult = of(createWildcardMatchResult(segments));
       // Prior versions of the route matching algorithm would stop matching at the wildcard route.
       // We should investigate a better strategy for any existing children. Otherwise, these
       // child segments are silently dropped from the navigation.
       // https://github.com/angular/angular/issues/40089
       rawSegment.children = {};
+    } else {
+      matchResult = matchWithChecks(rawSegment, route, segments, injector, this.urlSerializer);
     }
 
     return matchResult.pipe(switchMap((result) => {
@@ -431,3 +437,13 @@ function getData(route: Route): Data {
 function getResolve(route: Route): ResolveData {
   return route.resolve || {};
 }
+
+function createWildcardMatchResult(segments: UrlSegment[]): MatchResult {
+  return {
+    matched: true,
+    parameters: segments.length > 0 ? last(segments)!.parameters : {},
+    consumedSegments: segments,
+    remainingSegments: [],
+    positionalParamSegments: {},
+  };
+}
diff --git a/packages/router/src/utils/config_matching.ts b/packages/router/src/utils/config_matching.ts
index d9543de8d9e6..338d782738f7 100644
--- a/packages/router/src/utils/config_matching.ts
+++ b/packages/router/src/utils/config_matching.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@ import {runCanMatchGuards} from '../operators/check_guards';
 import {defaultUrlMatcher, PRIMARY_OUTLET} from '../shared';
 import {UrlSegment, UrlSegmentGroup, UrlSerializer} from '../url_tree';
 
-import {last} from './collection';
 import {getOrCreateRouteInjectorIfNeeded, getOutlet} from './config';
 
 export interface MatchResult {
@@ -53,10 +52,6 @@ export function matchWithChecks(
 
 export function match(
     segmentGroup: UrlSegmentGroup, route: Route, segments: UrlSegment[]): MatchResult {
-  if (route.path === '**') {
-    return createWildcardMatchResult(segments);
-  }
-
   if (route.path === '') {
     if (route.pathMatch === 'full' && (segmentGroup.hasChildren() || segments.length > 0)) {
       return {...noMatch};
@@ -93,16 +88,6 @@ export function match(
   };
 }
 
-function createWildcardMatchResult(segments: UrlSegment[]): MatchResult {
-  return {
-    matched: true,
-    parameters: segments.length > 0 ? last(segments)!.parameters : {},
-    consumedSegments: segments,
-    remainingSegments: [],
-    positionalParamSegments: {},
-  };
-}
-
 export function split(
     segmentGroup: UrlSegmentGroup, consumedSegments: UrlSegment[], slicedSegments: UrlSegment[],
     config: Route[]) {
@@ -198,6 +183,9 @@ export function isImmediateMatch(
       (outlet === PRIMARY_OUTLET || !emptyPathMatch(rawSegment, segments, route))) {
     return false;
   }
+  if (route.path === '**') {
+    return true;
+  }
   return match(rawSegment, route, segments).matched;
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/router/test/recognize.spec.ts b/packages/router/test/recognize.spec.ts
index 1bf24593125d..5ff0be3093d6 100644
--- a/packages/router/test/recognize.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/router/test/recognize.spec.ts
@@ -653,17 +653,6 @@ describe('recognize', async () => {
       expect(s.root.fragment).toEqual('f1');
     });
   });
-
-  describe('guards', () => {
-    it('should run canMatch guards on wildcard routes', async () => {
-      const config = [
-        {path: '**', component: ComponentA, data: {id: 'a'}, canMatch: [() => false]},
-        {path: '**', component: ComponentB, data: {id: 'b'}}
-      ];
-      const s = await recognize(config, 'a');
-      expect(s.root.firstChild!.data['id']).toEqual('b');
-    });
-  });
 });
 
 async function recognize(