diff --git a/tokio/src/runtime/io/driver/uring.rs b/tokio/src/runtime/io/driver/uring.rs
index 89c97826bdf..53003c41f97 100644
--- a/tokio/src/runtime/io/driver/uring.rs
+++ b/tokio/src/runtime/io/driver/uring.rs
@@ -2,12 +2,14 @@ use io_uring::{squeue::Entry, IoUring, Probe};
 use mio::unix::SourceFd;
 use slab::Slab;
 
+use crate::runtime::driver::op::CancelData;
+use crate::runtime::driver::op::CqeResult;
 use crate::runtime::driver::op::{Cancellable, Lifecycle};
 use crate::{io::Interest, loom::sync::Mutex};
 
 use super::{Handle, TOKEN_WAKEUP};
 
-use std::os::fd::{AsRawFd, RawFd};
+use std::os::fd::{AsRawFd, FromRawFd, OwnedFd, RawFd};
 use std::{io, mem, task::Waker};
 
 const DEFAULT_RING_SIZE: u32 = 256;
@@ -77,9 +79,14 @@ impl UringContext {
                     waker.wake_by_ref();
                     *ops.get_mut(idx).unwrap() = Lifecycle::Completed(cqe);
                 }
-                Some(Lifecycle::Cancelled(_)) => {
+                Some(Lifecycle::Cancelled(CancelData::Open(_))) => {
+                    if let Ok(fd) = CqeResult::from(cqe).result {
+                        // SAFETY: the successful CQE result provides
+                        // a non-negative integer, and the event is
+                        // related to an open operation.
+                        unsafe { OwnedFd::from_raw_fd(fd as i32) };
+                    }
                     // Op future was cancelled, so we discard the result.
-                    // We just remove the entry from the slab.
                     ops.remove(idx);
                 }
                 Some(other) => {
diff --git a/tokio/tests/fs_uring.rs b/tokio/tests/fs_uring.rs
index cd0d207d278..4f985916921 100644
--- a/tokio/tests/fs_uring.rs
+++ b/tokio/tests/fs_uring.rs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 ))]
 
 use futures::future::FutureExt;
+use std::fs;
 use std::sync::mpsc;
 use std::task::Poll;
 use std::time::Duration;
@@ -145,6 +146,53 @@ async fn cancel_op_future() {
     assert!(res.is_cancelled());
 }
 
+// see: https://github.com/tokio-rs/tokio/issues/7979
+#[tokio::test]
+async fn file_descriptors_are_closed_when_cancelling_open_op() {
+    let (_tmp_file, path): (Vec<NamedTempFile>, Vec<PathBuf>) = create_tmp_files(1);
+
+    let fd_count_before_access = fs::read_dir("/proc/self/fd").unwrap().count();
+
+    for _ in 0..128 {
+        let (tx, mut rx) = tokio::sync::mpsc::unbounded_channel();
+
+        let path = path.clone();
+        let handle = tokio::spawn(async move {
+            poll_fn(|cx| {
+                let opt = {
+                    let mut opt = tokio::fs::OpenOptions::new();
+                    opt.read(true);
+                    opt
+                };
+
+                let fut = opt.open(&path[0]);
+
+                // If io_uring is enabled (and not falling back to the thread pool),
+                // the first poll should return Pending.
+                let _pending = Box::pin(fut).poll_unpin(cx);
+
+                tx.send(()).unwrap();
+
+                Poll::<()>::Pending
+            })
+            .await;
+        });
+
+        // Wait for the first poll
+        rx.recv().await.unwrap();
+
+        handle.abort();
+
+        let res = handle.await.unwrap_err();
+        assert!(res.is_cancelled());
+    }
+
+    let fd_count_after_cancel = fs::read_dir("/proc/self/fd").unwrap().count();
+    let leaked = fd_count_after_cancel.saturating_sub(fd_count_before_access);
+
+    assert!(leaked <= 64);
+}
+
 fn create_tmp_files(num_files: usize) -> (Vec<NamedTempFile>, Vec<PathBuf>) {
     let mut files = Vec::with_capacity(num_files);
     for _ in 0..num_files {