diff --git a/src/network/networkd-mdb.c b/src/network/networkd-mdb.c
index 0ac770264c..3bf18dbd71 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-mdb.c
+++ b/src/network/networkd-mdb.c
@@ -16,12 +16,8 @@ MdbEntry *mdb_entry_free(MdbEntry *mdb_entry) {
                 return NULL;
 
         if (mdb_entry->network) {
-                LIST_REMOVE(static_mdb_entries, mdb_entry->network->static_mdb_entries, mdb_entry);
-                assert(mdb_entry->network->n_static_mdb_entries > 0);
-                mdb_entry->network->n_static_mdb_entries--;
-
-                if (mdb_entry->section)
-                        hashmap_remove(mdb_entry->network->mdb_entries_by_section, mdb_entry->section);
+                assert(mdb_entry->section);
+                hashmap_remove(mdb_entry->network->mdb_entries_by_section, mdb_entry->section);
         }
 
         network_config_section_free(mdb_entry->section);
@@ -44,22 +40,21 @@ static int mdb_entry_new_static(
 
         assert(network);
         assert(ret);
-        assert(!!filename == (section_line > 0));
+        assert(filename);
+        assert(section_line > 0);
+
+        r = network_config_section_new(filename, section_line, &n);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return r;
 
         /* search entry in hashmap first. */
-        if (filename) {
-                r = network_config_section_new(filename, section_line, &n);
-                if (r < 0)
-                        return r;
-
-                mdb_entry = hashmap_get(network->mdb_entries_by_section, n);
-                if (mdb_entry) {
-                        *ret = TAKE_PTR(mdb_entry);
-                        return 0;
-                }
+        mdb_entry = hashmap_get(network->mdb_entries_by_section, n);
+        if (mdb_entry) {
+                *ret = TAKE_PTR(mdb_entry);
+                return 0;
         }
 
-        if (network->n_static_mdb_entries >= STATIC_MDB_ENTRIES_PER_NETWORK_MAX)
+        if (hashmap_size(network->mdb_entries_by_section) >= STATIC_MDB_ENTRIES_PER_NETWORK_MAX)
                 return -E2BIG;
 
         /* allocate space for an MDB entry. */
@@ -70,26 +65,19 @@ static int mdb_entry_new_static(
         /* init MDB structure. */
         *mdb_entry = (MdbEntry) {
                 .network = network,
+                .section = TAKE_PTR(n),
         };
 
-        LIST_PREPEND(static_mdb_entries, network->static_mdb_entries, mdb_entry);
-        network->n_static_mdb_entries++;
+        r = hashmap_ensure_allocated(&network->mdb_entries_by_section, &network_config_hash_ops);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return r;
 
-        if (filename) {
-                mdb_entry->section = TAKE_PTR(n);
-
-                r = hashmap_ensure_allocated(&network->mdb_entries_by_section, &network_config_hash_ops);
-                if (r < 0)
-                        return r;
-
-                r = hashmap_put(network->mdb_entries_by_section, mdb_entry->section, mdb_entry);
-                if (r < 0)
-                        return r;
-        }
+        r = hashmap_put(network->mdb_entries_by_section, mdb_entry->section, mdb_entry);
+        if (r < 0)
+                return r;
 
         /* return allocated MDB structure. */
         *ret = TAKE_PTR(mdb_entry);
-
         return 0;
 }
 
@@ -214,7 +202,7 @@ int link_set_bridge_mdb(Link *link) {
         if (!link->network)
                 return 0;
 
-        if (LIST_IS_EMPTY(link->network->static_mdb_entries))
+        if (hashmap_isempty(link->network->mdb_entries_by_section))
                 goto finish;
 
         if (!link_has_carrier(link))
@@ -238,7 +226,7 @@ int link_set_bridge_mdb(Link *link) {
                 goto finish;
         }
 
-        LIST_FOREACH(static_mdb_entries, mdb_entry, link->network->static_mdb_entries) {
+        HASHMAP_FOREACH(mdb_entry, link->network->mdb_entries_by_section) {
                 r = mdb_entry_configure(link, mdb_entry);
                 if (r < 0)
                         return log_link_error_errno(link, r, "Failed to add MDB entry to multicast group database: %m");
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-mdb.h b/src/network/networkd-mdb.h
index 70250b5d45..00c16463b8 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-mdb.h
+++ b/src/network/networkd-mdb.h
@@ -18,8 +18,6 @@ struct MdbEntry {
         int family;
         union in_addr_union group_addr;
         uint16_t vlan_id;
-
-        LIST_FIELDS(MdbEntry, static_mdb_entries);
 };
 
 int mdb_entry_verify(MdbEntry *mdb_entry);
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-network.c b/src/network/networkd-network.c
index 25b0046bd9..7a0feae8fc 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-network.c
+++ b/src/network/networkd-network.c
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ int network_verify(Network *network) {
         Address *address, *address_next;
         Prefix *prefix, *prefix_next;
         Route *route, *route_next;
-        MdbEntry *mdb, *mdb_next;
+        MdbEntry *mdb;
         TrafficControl *tc;
         SRIOV *sr_iov;
 
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ int network_verify(Network *network) {
         network_verify_nexthops(network);
         network_verify_fdb_entries(network);
 
-        LIST_FOREACH_SAFE(static_mdb_entries, mdb, mdb_next, network->static_mdb_entries)
+        HASHMAP_FOREACH(mdb, network->mdb_entries_by_section)
                 if (mdb_entry_verify(mdb) < 0)
                         mdb_entry_free(mdb);
 
@@ -634,7 +634,6 @@ failure:
 static Network *network_free(Network *network) {
         IPv6ProxyNDPAddress *ipv6_proxy_ndp_address;
         RoutePrefix *route_prefix;
-        MdbEntry *mdb_entry;
         Address *address;
         Prefix *prefix;
         Route *route;
@@ -700,9 +699,6 @@ static Network *network_free(Network *network) {
         while ((address = network->static_addresses))
                 address_free(address);
 
-        while ((mdb_entry = network->static_mdb_entries))
-                mdb_entry_free(mdb_entry);
-
         while ((ipv6_proxy_ndp_address = network->ipv6_proxy_ndp_addresses))
                 ipv6_proxy_ndp_address_free(ipv6_proxy_ndp_address);
 
@@ -716,7 +712,7 @@ static Network *network_free(Network *network) {
         hashmap_free(network->routes_by_section);
         hashmap_free_with_destructor(network->nexthops_by_section, nexthop_free);
         hashmap_free_with_destructor(network->fdb_entries_by_section, fdb_entry_free);
-        hashmap_free(network->mdb_entries_by_section);
+        hashmap_free_with_destructor(network->mdb_entries_by_section, mdb_entry_free);
         hashmap_free_with_destructor(network->neighbors_by_section, neighbor_free);
         hashmap_free_with_destructor(network->address_labels_by_section, address_label_free);
         hashmap_free(network->prefixes_by_section);
@@ -846,7 +842,7 @@ bool network_has_static_ipv6_configurations(Network *network) {
                 if (fdb->family == AF_INET6)
                         return true;
 
-        LIST_FOREACH(static_mdb_entries, mdb, network->static_mdb_entries)
+        HASHMAP_FOREACH(mdb, network->mdb_entries_by_section)
                 if (mdb->family == AF_INET6)
                         return true;
 
diff --git a/src/network/networkd-network.h b/src/network/networkd-network.h
index d471c98239..e584e5d460 100644
--- a/src/network/networkd-network.h
+++ b/src/network/networkd-network.h
@@ -282,14 +282,12 @@ struct Network {
 
         LIST_HEAD(Address, static_addresses);
         LIST_HEAD(Route, static_routes);
-        LIST_HEAD(MdbEntry, static_mdb_entries);
         LIST_HEAD(IPv6ProxyNDPAddress, ipv6_proxy_ndp_addresses);
         LIST_HEAD(Prefix, static_prefixes);
         LIST_HEAD(RoutePrefix, static_route_prefixes);
 
         unsigned n_static_addresses;
         unsigned n_static_routes;
-        unsigned n_static_mdb_entries;
         unsigned n_ipv6_proxy_ndp_addresses;
         unsigned n_static_prefixes;
         unsigned n_static_route_prefixes;