diff --git a/spark/v3.5/spark/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/spark/source/TestStructuredStreamingRead3.java b/spark/v3.5/spark/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/spark/source/TestStructuredStreamingRead3.java
index 4efb883b5d6c..609de8afec21 100644
--- a/spark/v3.5/spark/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/spark/source/TestStructuredStreamingRead3.java
+++ b/spark/v3.5/spark/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/spark/source/TestStructuredStreamingRead3.java
@@ -175,7 +175,11 @@ public void stopStreams() throws TimeoutException {
   }
 
   @AfterEach
-  public void removeTables() {
+  public void removeTables() throws TimeoutException {
+    // Stop active streams before dropping the table. In async mode the planner's background
+    // thread keeps refreshing the table from the catalog; dropping the table while that thread
+    // is alive lets those refreshes contend with DROP TABLE and stall teardown for seconds.
+    stopStreams();
     sql("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS %s", tableName);
   }
 
diff --git a/spark/v4.0/spark/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/spark/source/TestStructuredStreamingRead3.java b/spark/v4.0/spark/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/spark/source/TestStructuredStreamingRead3.java
index 06189b304299..1f2a87f17218 100644
--- a/spark/v4.0/spark/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/spark/source/TestStructuredStreamingRead3.java
+++ b/spark/v4.0/spark/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/spark/source/TestStructuredStreamingRead3.java
@@ -175,7 +175,11 @@ public void stopStreams() throws TimeoutException {
   }
 
   @AfterEach
-  public void removeTables() {
+  public void removeTables() throws TimeoutException {
+    // Stop active streams before dropping the table. In async mode the planner's background
+    // thread keeps refreshing the table from the catalog; dropping the table while that thread
+    // is alive lets those refreshes contend with DROP TABLE and stall teardown for seconds.
+    stopStreams();
     sql("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS %s", tableName);
   }
 
diff --git a/spark/v4.1/spark/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/spark/source/TestStructuredStreamingRead3.java b/spark/v4.1/spark/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/spark/source/TestStructuredStreamingRead3.java
index 89947f73ea38..00238cfcc341 100644
--- a/spark/v4.1/spark/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/spark/source/TestStructuredStreamingRead3.java
+++ b/spark/v4.1/spark/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/spark/source/TestStructuredStreamingRead3.java
@@ -176,7 +176,11 @@ public void stopStreams() throws TimeoutException {
   }
 
   @AfterEach
-  public void removeTables() {
+  public void removeTables() throws TimeoutException {
+    // Stop active streams before dropping the table. In async mode the planner's background
+    // thread keeps refreshing the table from the catalog; dropping the table while that thread
+    // is alive lets those refreshes contend with DROP TABLE and stall teardown for seconds.
+    stopStreams();
     sql("DROP TABLE IF EXISTS %s", tableName);
   }