diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.stories.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.stories.tsx
index cbfe3d8562..c818d0fe4b 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.stories.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.stories.tsx
@@ -455,3 +455,60 @@ export const RootPathMatching: Story = {
     </MemoryRouter>
   ),
 };
+
+export const AutoSelectionOfTabs: Story = {
+  args: {
+    children: '',
+  },
+  render: () => (
+    <MemoryRouter initialEntries={['/random-page']}>
+      <div style={{ display: 'flex', flexDirection: 'column', gap: '24px' }}>
+        <Text style={{ fontSize: '16px', color: '#666' }}>
+          Current URL: <strong>/random-page</strong>
+        </Text>
+
+        {/* Without hrefs */}
+        <Text>
+          {' '}
+          <strong>Case 1: Without hrefs</strong>
+        </Text>
+        <Tabs>
+          <TabList>
+            <Tab id="settings">Settings</Tab>
+            <Tab id="preferences">Preferences</Tab>
+            <Tab id="advanced">Advanced</Tab>
+          </TabList>
+          <TabPanel id="settings">
+            <Text>Settings content - React Aria manages this selection</Text>
+          </TabPanel>
+          <TabPanel id="preferences">
+            <Text>Preferences content - works normally</Text>
+          </TabPanel>
+          <TabPanel id="advanced">
+            <Text>Advanced content - local state only</Text>
+          </TabPanel>
+        </Tabs>
+
+        {/* With hrefs */}
+        <Text>
+          {' '}
+          <strong>Case 2: With hrefs</strong> By default no selection is shown
+          because the URL doesn't match any tab's href.{' '}
+        </Text>
+        <Tabs>
+          <TabList>
+            <Tab id="catalog" href="/catalog">
+              Catalog
+            </Tab>
+            <Tab id="create" href="/create">
+              Create
+            </Tab>
+            <Tab id="docs" href="/docs">
+              Docs
+            </Tab>
+          </TabList>
+        </Tabs>
+      </div>
+    </MemoryRouter>
+  ),
+};
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.tsx b/packages/ui/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.tsx
index dacb355fc9..371de4ef41 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.tsx
+++ b/packages/ui/src/components/Tabs/Tabs.tsx
@@ -115,9 +115,22 @@ export const Tabs = (props: TabsProps) => {
             }
           }
         }
+
+        //No route matches - check if all tabs have hrefs (pure navigation)
+        const allTabsHaveHref = tabListChildren.every(
+          child => isValidElement(child) && child.props.href,
+        );
+
+        if (allTabsHaveHref) {
+          // Pure navigation tabs, no route match
+          return null;
+        } else {
+          // Mixed tabs or pure local state
+          return undefined;
+        }
       }
     }
-    return null;
+    return undefined;
   })();
 
   if (!children) return null;