diff --git a/tracing-subscriber/src/registry/sharded.rs b/tracing-subscriber/src/registry/sharded.rs
index 64f0cdc50..df054148f 100644
--- a/tracing-subscriber/src/registry/sharded.rs
+++ b/tracing-subscriber/src/registry/sharded.rs
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ impl Subscriber for Registry {
     fn exit(&self, id: &span::Id) {
         if let Some(spans) = self.current_spans.get() {
             if spans.borrow_mut().pop(id) {
-                dispatcher::get_default(|dispatch| dispatch.try_close(id.clone()));
+                self.try_close(id.clone());
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/tracing-subscriber/tests/registry_span_instrument_drop.rs b/tracing-subscriber/tests/registry_span_instrument_drop.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..5eb231b43
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tracing-subscriber/tests/registry_span_instrument_drop.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+#![cfg(feature = "registry")]
+
+use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
+
+use tracing::{
+    span::{self, Id},
+    Dispatch, Event, Metadata, Subscriber,
+};
+use tracing_core::{Interest, LevelFilter};
+use tracing_subscriber::{
+    layer::{Context, SubscriberExt},
+    Layer, Registry,
+};
+
+#[test]
+fn span_entered_on_different_thread_from_subscriber() {
+    /// Counters for various lifecycle events we want to track.
+    #[derive(Default)]
+    struct LifecycleCounts {
+        layer_new_count: usize,
+        layer_enter_count: usize,
+        layer_exit_count: usize,
+        layer_close_count: usize,
+
+        sub_new_count: usize,
+        sub_clone_count: usize,
+        sub_enter_count: usize,
+        sub_exit_count: usize,
+        sub_close_count: usize,
+    }
+
+    /// Wraps `tracing_subscriber::Registry` and adds some accounting
+    /// to verify that the subscriber is receiving the expected number of calls.
+    struct CountingSubscriber {
+        inner: Registry,
+        counts: Arc<Mutex<LifecycleCounts>>,
+    }
+
+    // Forward all subscriber methods to the inner registry, adding counts where appropriate.
+    impl Subscriber for CountingSubscriber {
+        fn on_register_dispatch(&self, subscriber: &Dispatch) {
+            self.inner.on_register_dispatch(subscriber);
+        }
+
+        fn register_callsite(&self, metadata: &'static Metadata<'static>) -> Interest {
+            self.inner.register_callsite(metadata)
+        }
+
+        fn max_level_hint(&self) -> Option<LevelFilter> {
+            self.inner.max_level_hint()
+        }
+
+        fn event_enabled(&self, event: &Event<'_>) -> bool {
+            self.inner.event_enabled(event)
+        }
+
+        fn clone_span(&self, id: &span::Id) -> span::Id {
+            self.counts.lock().unwrap().sub_clone_count += 1;
+            self.inner.clone_span(id)
+        }
+
+        fn drop_span(&self, id: span::Id) {
+            self.counts.lock().unwrap().sub_close_count += 1;
+            #[allow(deprecated)]
+            self.inner.drop_span(id);
+        }
+
+        fn try_close(&self, id: span::Id) -> bool {
+            self.counts.lock().unwrap().sub_close_count += 1;
+            self.inner.try_close(id)
+        }
+
+        fn current_span(&self) -> tracing_core::span::Current {
+            self.inner.current_span()
+        }
+
+        unsafe fn downcast_raw(&self, id: std::any::TypeId) -> Option<*const ()> {
+            self.inner.downcast_raw(id)
+        }
+
+        fn enabled(&self, metadata: &Metadata<'_>) -> bool {
+            self.inner.enabled(metadata)
+        }
+
+        fn new_span(&self, span: &span::Attributes<'_>) -> span::Id {
+            self.counts.lock().unwrap().sub_new_count += 1;
+            self.inner.new_span(span)
+        }
+
+        fn record(&self, span: &span::Id, values: &span::Record<'_>) {
+            self.inner.record(span, values);
+        }
+
+        fn record_follows_from(&self, span: &span::Id, follows: &span::Id) {
+            self.inner.record_follows_from(span, follows);
+        }
+
+        fn event(&self, event: &Event<'_>) {
+            self.inner.event(event);
+        }
+
+        fn enter(&self, span: &span::Id) {
+            self.inner.enter(span);
+            self.counts.lock().unwrap().sub_enter_count += 1;
+        }
+
+        fn exit(&self, span: &span::Id) {
+            self.inner.exit(span);
+            self.counts.lock().unwrap().sub_exit_count += 1;
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Similar to the above, but for a `Layer` which sits atop the subscriber.
+    struct CountingLayer {
+        counts: Arc<Mutex<LifecycleCounts>>,
+    }
+
+    // Just does bookkeeping where relevant.
+    impl Layer<CountingSubscriber> for CountingLayer {
+        fn on_new_span(
+            &self,
+            _attrs: &span::Attributes<'_>,
+            _id: &span::Id,
+            _ctx: Context<'_, CountingSubscriber>,
+        ) {
+            self.counts.lock().unwrap().layer_new_count += 1;
+        }
+
+        fn on_enter(&self, _id: &span::Id, _ctx: Context<'_, CountingSubscriber>) {
+            self.counts.lock().unwrap().layer_enter_count += 1;
+        }
+
+        fn on_exit(&self, _id: &span::Id, _ctx: Context<'_, CountingSubscriber>) {
+            self.counts.lock().unwrap().layer_exit_count += 1;
+        }
+
+        fn on_close(&self, _id: Id, _ctx: Context<'_, CountingSubscriber>) {
+            self.counts.lock().unwrap().layer_close_count += 1;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Setup subscriber and layer.
+
+    let counts = Arc::new(Mutex::new(LifecycleCounts::default()));
+
+    let layer = CountingLayer {
+        counts: counts.clone(),
+    };
+
+    let subscriber = CountingSubscriber {
+        inner: tracing_subscriber::registry(),
+        counts: counts.clone(),
+    };
+    let subscriber = Arc::new(subscriber.with(layer));
+
+    // Create a span using the subscriber
+    let span = tracing::subscriber::with_default(subscriber.clone(), move || {
+        tracing::span!(tracing::Level::INFO, "span")
+    });
+
+    // Enter the span in a thread which doesn't have a direct relationship to the subscriber.
+    std::thread::spawn(move || {
+        let _ = span.entered();
+    })
+    .join()
+    .unwrap();
+
+    // layer should have seen exactly one new span & close
+    // should be one enter / exit cycle
+
+    let counts = counts.lock().unwrap();
+
+    assert_eq!(counts.layer_new_count, 1);
+    assert_eq!(counts.layer_enter_count, 1);
+    assert_eq!(counts.layer_exit_count, 1);
+    assert_eq!(counts.layer_close_count, 1);
+
+    // subscriber should have seen one new span
+    // new + any clones should equal number of closes
+    // enter and exit should match layer counts
+
+    assert_eq!(counts.sub_new_count, 1);
+    assert_eq!(
+        counts.sub_new_count + counts.sub_clone_count,
+        counts.sub_close_count
+    );
+
+    assert_eq!(counts.sub_enter_count, counts.layer_enter_count);
+    assert_eq!(counts.sub_exit_count, counts.layer_exit_count);
+}