diff --git a/spark/src/test/scala/org/apache/comet/CometIcebergNativeSuite.scala b/spark/src/test/scala/org/apache/comet/CometIcebergNativeSuite.scala
index b8835212129..9da62610548 100644
--- a/spark/src/test/scala/org/apache/comet/CometIcebergNativeSuite.scala
+++ b/spark/src/test/scala/org/apache/comet/CometIcebergNativeSuite.scala
@@ -2241,6 +2241,67 @@ class CometIcebergNativeSuite
     }
   }
 
+  // No schema change, so the schema evolution fallback does not apply.
+  test("data file that omits an optional nested field stays native") {
+    assume(icebergAvailable, "Iceberg not available in classpath")
+
+    withHadoopCatalog("test_cat") {
+      withSQLConf(
+        CometConf.COMET_ENABLED.key -> "true",
+        CometConf.COMET_EXEC_ENABLED.key -> "true",
+        CometConf.COMET_ICEBERG_NATIVE_ENABLED.key -> "true") {
+        val table = "test_cat.db.omitted_nested"
+        spark.sql(s"""
+          CREATE TABLE $table (id INT, s STRUCT<a: INT, b: INT>, l ARRAY<STRUCT<x: INT, y: INT>>)
+          USING iceberg
+        """)
+        withSQLConf(CometConf.COMET_ENABLED.key -> "false") {
+          spark.sql(s"""
+            INSERT INTO $table VALUES
+              (1, named_struct('a', 1, 'b', 10), array(named_struct('x', 1, 'y', 100)))
+          """)
+          // Set after the insert: accept-any-schema matches columns by name.
+          spark.sql(
+            s"ALTER TABLE $table SET TBLPROPERTIES ('write.spark.accept-any-schema' = 'true')")
+          // This file has no s.b and no l.element.y.
+          spark
+            .sql("""
+              SELECT 2 AS id, named_struct('a', 2) AS s, array(named_struct('x', 20)) AS l
+              UNION ALL
+              SELECT 3, CAST(NULL AS STRUCT<a: INT>), CAST(NULL AS ARRAY<STRUCT<x: INT>>)
+            """)
+            .writeTo(table)
+            .append()
+        }
+
+        // Check the footers, so the test fails if a writer starts filling in the missing fields.
+        val fileLeaves = spark.sql(s"SELECT file_path FROM $table.files").collect().map { row =>
+          val reader = org.apache.parquet.hadoop.ParquetFileReader.open(
+            org.apache.parquet.hadoop.util.HadoopInputFile.fromPath(
+              new org.apache.hadoop.fs.Path(row.getString(0)),
+              spark.sessionState.newHadoopConf()))
+          try {
+            reader.getFooter.getFileMetaData.getSchema.getColumns.asScala
+              .map(_.getPath.mkString("."))
+              .toSet
+          } finally {
+            reader.close()
+          }
+        }
+        val omitted = Set("s.b", "l.list.element.y")
+        // Check the paths against the full-schema file first, or a wrong path makes the next
+        // assert always pass.
+        assert(fileLeaves.exists(omitted.subsetOf), s"leaves: ${fileLeaves.mkString(", ")}")
+        assert(fileLeaves.exists(!_.exists(omitted)), s"leaves: ${fileLeaves.mkString(", ")}")
+
+        checkPrunedAndFullReads(s"SELECT * FROM $table ORDER BY id")
+        checkPrunedAndFullReads(s"SELECT id, s.b FROM $table WHERE s.b IS NULL ORDER BY id")
+
+        spark.sql(s"DROP TABLE $table")
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   test("schema evolution - nested field dropped, moved, or promoted stays native") {
     assume(icebergAvailable, "Iceberg not available in classpath")