diff --git a/Zend/zend_compile.c b/Zend/zend_compile.c
index 084c47f45bc47..9d28ff2eddf8f 100644
--- a/Zend/zend_compile.c
+++ b/Zend/zend_compile.c
@@ -8098,7 +8098,7 @@ static void zend_compile_class_decl(znode *result, zend_ast *ast, bool toplevel)
 		zend_add_literal_string(&key);
 
 		opline->opcode = ZEND_DECLARE_CLASS;
-		if (extends_ast && toplevel
+		if (toplevel
 			 && (CG(compiler_options) & ZEND_COMPILE_DELAYED_BINDING)
 				/* We currently don't early-bind classes that implement interfaces or use traits */
 			 && !ce->num_interfaces && !ce->num_traits
diff --git a/Zend/zend_inheritance.c b/Zend/zend_inheritance.c
index ff3a4d7080751..043cfdbd8f7d9 100644
--- a/Zend/zend_inheritance.c
+++ b/Zend/zend_inheritance.c
@@ -3184,6 +3184,10 @@ ZEND_API zend_class_entry *zend_do_link_class(zend_class_entry *ce, zend_string
 /* Check whether early binding is prevented due to unresolved types in inheritance checks. */
 static inheritance_status zend_can_early_bind(zend_class_entry *ce, zend_class_entry *parent_ce) /* {{{ */
 {
+	if (parent_ce == NULL) {
+		return INHERITANCE_SUCCESS;
+	}
+
 	zend_string *key;
 	zend_function *parent_func;
 	zend_property_info *parent_info;
@@ -3278,7 +3282,9 @@ ZEND_API zend_class_entry *zend_try_early_bind(zend_class_entry *ce, zend_class_
 	zend_class_entry *orig_linking_class;
 	uint32_t is_cacheable = ce->ce_flags & ZEND_ACC_IMMUTABLE;
 
-	UPDATE_IS_CACHEABLE(parent_ce);
+	if (parent_ce) {
+		UPDATE_IS_CACHEABLE(parent_ce);
+	}
 	if (is_cacheable) {
 		if (zend_inheritance_cache_get && zend_inheritance_cache_add) {
 			zend_class_entry *ret = zend_inheritance_cache_get(ce, parent_ce, NULL);
@@ -3321,7 +3327,9 @@ ZEND_API zend_class_entry *zend_try_early_bind(zend_class_entry *ce, zend_class_
 				zend_begin_record_errors();
 			}
 
-			zend_do_inheritance_ex(ce, parent_ce, status == INHERITANCE_SUCCESS);
+			if (parent_ce) {
+				zend_do_inheritance_ex(ce, parent_ce, status == INHERITANCE_SUCCESS);
+			}
 			if (parent_ce && parent_ce->num_interfaces) {
 				zend_do_inherit_interfaces(ce, parent_ce);
 			}
diff --git a/ext/opcache/tests/gh8846.phpt b/ext/opcache/tests/gh8846.phpt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..93caea12d8dd8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ext/opcache/tests/gh8846.phpt
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+--TEST--
+Bug GH-8846: Always use delayed early binding over early binding in OPcache
+--EXTENSIONS--
+opcache
+--CONFLICTS--
+server
+--INI--
+opcache.validate_timestamps=1
+opcache.revalidate_freq=0
+--FILE--
+<?php
+
+file_put_contents(__DIR__ . '/gh8846-index.php', <<<'PHP'
+<?php
+if (!@$_GET['skip']) {
+    include __DIR__ . '/gh8846-1.php';
+}
+include __DIR__ . '/gh8846-2.php';
+echo "Ok\n";
+PHP);
+
+file_put_contents(__DIR__ . '/gh8846-1.php', <<<'PHP'
+<?php
+class Foo {
+	const BAR = true;
+}
+PHP);
+
+file_put_contents(__DIR__ . '/gh8846-2.php', <<<'PHP'
+<?php
+var_dump(Foo::BAR);
+class Foo {
+	const BAR = true;
+}
+PHP);
+
+// FIXME: Avoid this sleep
+sleep(2);
+
+include 'php_cli_server.inc';
+php_cli_server_start('-d opcache.enable=1 -d opcache.enable_cli=1');
+
+echo file_get_contents('http://' . PHP_CLI_SERVER_ADDRESS . '/gh8846-index.php');
+echo "\n";
+echo file_get_contents('http://' . PHP_CLI_SERVER_ADDRESS . '/gh8846-index.php?skip=1');
+?>
+--CLEAN--
+<?php
+@unlink(__DIR__ . '/gh8846-index.php');
+@unlink(__DIR__ . '/gh8846-1.php');
+@unlink(__DIR__ . '/gh8846-2.php');
+?>
+--EXPECTF--
+bool(true)
+<br />
+<b>Fatal error</b>:  Cannot declare class Foo, because the name is already in use in <b>%sgh8846-2.php</b> on line <b>%d</b><br />
+
+bool(true)
+Ok
diff --git a/ext/opcache/tests/php_cli_server.inc b/ext/opcache/tests/php_cli_server.inc
index 8d15b81c790b9..20b2b8f053256 100644
--- a/ext/opcache/tests/php_cli_server.inc
+++ b/ext/opcache/tests/php_cli_server.inc
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ function php_cli_server_start($ini = "") {
     $ini_array = array_map(function($arg) {
         return trim($arg, '\'"');
     }, $ini_array);
-    $cmd = [$php_executable, '-t', $doc_root, '-n', ...$ini_array, '-S', PHP_CLI_SERVER_ADDRESS];
+    $cmd = [$php_executable, '-t', $doc_root, ...$ini_array, '-S', PHP_CLI_SERVER_ADDRESS];
     $descriptorspec = array(
         0 => STDIN,
         1 => STDOUT,
diff --git a/ext/opcache/zend_accelerator_util_funcs.c b/ext/opcache/zend_accelerator_util_funcs.c
index b99a50b212828..b7c9923b1f33d 100644
--- a/ext/opcache/zend_accelerator_util_funcs.c
+++ b/ext/opcache/zend_accelerator_util_funcs.c
@@ -282,8 +282,9 @@ void zend_accel_build_delayed_early_binding_list(zend_persistent_script *persist
 			zval *lcname = RT_CONSTANT(opline, opline->op1);
 			early_binding->lcname = zend_string_copy(Z_STR_P(lcname));
 			early_binding->rtd_key = zend_string_copy(Z_STR_P(lcname + 1));
-			early_binding->lc_parent_name =
-				zend_string_copy(Z_STR_P(RT_CONSTANT(opline, opline->op2)));
+			early_binding->lc_parent_name = opline->op2_type != IS_UNUSED
+				? zend_string_copy(Z_STR_P(RT_CONSTANT(opline, opline->op2)))
+				: NULL;
 			early_binding->cache_slot = (uint32_t) -1;
 			early_binding++;
 		}
@@ -328,7 +329,9 @@ void zend_accel_free_delayed_early_binding_list(zend_persistent_script *persiste
 			zend_early_binding *early_binding = &persistent_script->early_bindings[i];
 			zend_string_release(early_binding->lcname);
 			zend_string_release(early_binding->rtd_key);
-			zend_string_release(early_binding->lc_parent_name);
+			if (early_binding->lc_parent_name) {
+				zend_string_release(early_binding->lc_parent_name);
+			}
 		}
 		efree(persistent_script->early_bindings);
 		persistent_script->early_bindings = NULL;
@@ -357,10 +360,13 @@ static void zend_accel_do_delayed_early_binding(
 			zval *zv = zend_hash_find_known_hash(EG(class_table), early_binding->rtd_key);
 			if (zv) {
 				zend_class_entry *orig_ce = Z_CE_P(zv);
-				zend_class_entry *parent_ce =
-					zend_hash_find_ex_ptr(EG(class_table), early_binding->lc_parent_name, 1);
-				if (parent_ce) {
-					ce = zend_try_early_bind(orig_ce, parent_ce, early_binding->lcname, zv);
+				if (early_binding->lc_parent_name) {
+					zend_class_entry *parent_ce = zend_hash_find_ex_ptr(EG(class_table), early_binding->lc_parent_name, 1);
+					if (parent_ce) {
+						ce = zend_try_early_bind(orig_ce, parent_ce, early_binding->lcname, zv);
+					}
+				} else {
+					ce = zend_try_early_bind(orig_ce, NULL, early_binding->lcname, zv);
 				}
 			}
 		}
diff --git a/ext/opcache/zend_persist.c b/ext/opcache/zend_persist.c
index e21aaa069348a..7db7c987d8a0a 100644
--- a/ext/opcache/zend_persist.c
+++ b/ext/opcache/zend_persist.c
@@ -1306,7 +1306,9 @@ static zend_early_binding *zend_persist_early_bindings(
 		for (uint32_t i = 0; i < num_early_bindings; i++) {
 			zend_accel_store_interned_string(early_bindings[i].lcname);
 			zend_accel_store_interned_string(early_bindings[i].rtd_key);
-			zend_accel_store_interned_string(early_bindings[i].lc_parent_name);
+			if (early_bindings[i].lc_parent_name) {
+				zend_accel_store_interned_string(early_bindings[i].lc_parent_name);
+			}
 		}
 	}
 	return early_bindings;
diff --git a/ext/opcache/zend_persist_calc.c b/ext/opcache/zend_persist_calc.c
index dfc281eb7f6f7..bb544b7d28f36 100644
--- a/ext/opcache/zend_persist_calc.c
+++ b/ext/opcache/zend_persist_calc.c
@@ -584,7 +584,9 @@ static void zend_persist_early_bindings_calc(
 		zend_early_binding *early_binding = &early_bindings[i];
 		ADD_INTERNED_STRING(early_binding->lcname);
 		ADD_INTERNED_STRING(early_binding->rtd_key);
-		ADD_INTERNED_STRING(early_binding->lc_parent_name);
+		if (early_binding->lc_parent_name) {
+			ADD_INTERNED_STRING(early_binding->lc_parent_name);
+		}
 	}
 }