diff --git a/packages/core/test/bundling/router/bundle.golden_symbols.json b/packages/core/test/bundling/router/bundle.golden_symbols.json
index d46a700bb42..f7717bbdbe3 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/bundling/router/bundle.golden_symbols.json
+++ b/packages/core/test/bundling/router/bundle.golden_symbols.json
@@ -530,6 +530,7 @@
       "createUrlTreeFromSnapshot",
       "createViewBlueprint",
       "createViewRef",
+      "createWildcardMatchResult",
       "cyclicDependencyError",
       "deactivateRouteAndItsChildren",
       "decode",
@@ -884,7 +885,6 @@
       "markedFeatures",
       "match",
       "matchMatrixKeySegments",
-      "matchParts",
       "matchQueryParams",
       "matchSegments",
       "matchTemplateAttribute",
diff --git a/packages/router/src/shared.ts b/packages/router/src/shared.ts
index 23147f3facf..23ec9aa8c5e 100644
--- a/packages/router/src/shared.ts
+++ b/packages/router/src/shared.ts
@@ -117,24 +117,6 @@ export function convertToParamMap(params: Params): ParamMap {
   return new ParamsAsMap(params);
 }
 
-function matchParts(
-  routeParts: string[],
-  urlSegments: UrlSegment[],
-  posParams: {[key: string]: UrlSegment},
-): boolean {
-  for (let i = 0; i < routeParts.length; i++) {
-    const part = routeParts[i];
-    const segment = urlSegments[i];
-    const isParameter = part[0] === ':';
-    if (isParameter) {
-      posParams[part.substring(1)] = segment;
-    } else if (part !== segment.path) {
-      return false;
-    }
-  }
-  return true;
-}
-
 /**
  * Matches the route configuration (`route`) against the actual URL (`segments`).
  *
@@ -156,57 +138,15 @@ export function defaultUrlMatcher(
   route: Route,
 ): UrlMatchResult | null {
   const parts = route.path!.split('/');
-  const wildcardIndex = parts.indexOf('**');
-  if (wildcardIndex === -1) {
-    // No wildcard, use original logic
-    if (parts.length > segments.length) {
-      // The actual URL is shorter than the config, no match
-      return null;
-    }
 
-    if (
-      route.pathMatch === 'full' &&
-      (segmentGroup.hasChildren() || parts.length < segments.length)
-    ) {
-      // The config is longer than the actual URL but we are looking for a full match, return null
-      return null;
-    }
-
-    const posParams: {[key: string]: UrlSegment} = {};
-    const consumed = segments.slice(0, parts.length);
-    if (!matchParts(parts, consumed, posParams)) {
-      return null;
-    }
-    return {consumed, posParams};
-  }
-
-  // Path has a wildcard.
-  if (wildcardIndex !== parts.lastIndexOf('**')) {
-    // We do not support more than one wildcard segment in the path
-    return null;
-  }
-
-  const pre = parts.slice(0, wildcardIndex);
-  const post = parts.slice(wildcardIndex + 1);
-
-  if (pre.length + post.length > segments.length) {
+  if (parts.length > segments.length) {
     // The actual URL is shorter than the config, no match
     return null;
   }
-  if (
-    // If the wildcard is not at the end of the path, it must match at least one segment.
-    // e.g. `foo/**/bar` does not match `foo/bar`.
-    wildcardIndex > -1 &&
-    pre.length > 0 &&
-    post.length > 0 &&
-    pre.length + post.length === segments.length
-  ) {
-    return null;
-  }
 
   if (
     route.pathMatch === 'full' &&
-    (segmentGroup.hasChildren() || segments.length > pre.length + post.length)
+    (segmentGroup.hasChildren() || parts.length < segments.length)
   ) {
     // The config is longer than the actual URL but we are looking for a full match, return null
     return null;
@@ -214,18 +154,18 @@ export function defaultUrlMatcher(
 
   const posParams: {[key: string]: UrlSegment} = {};
 
-  // Match the segments before the wildcard
-  if (!matchParts(pre, segments.slice(0, pre.length), posParams)) {
-    return null;
-  }
-  // Match the segments after the wildcard
-  if (!matchParts(post, segments.slice(segments.length - post.length), posParams)) {
-    return null;
+  // Check each config part against the actual URL
+  for (let index = 0; index < parts.length; index++) {
+    const part = parts[index];
+    const segment = segments[index];
+    const isParameter = part[0] === ':';
+    if (isParameter) {
+      posParams[part.substring(1)] = segment;
+    } else if (part !== segment.path) {
+      // The actual URL part does not match the config, no match
+      return null;
+    }
   }
 
-  // TODO(atscott): put the wildcard segments into a _splat param.
-  // this would require a breaking change to the UrlMatchResult to allow UrlSegment[]
-  // since the splat could be multiple segments.
-
-  return {consumed: segments, posParams};
+  return {consumed: segments.slice(0, parts.length), posParams};
 }
diff --git a/packages/router/src/utils/config_matching.ts b/packages/router/src/utils/config_matching.ts
index 78bcdea7f38..ac1fdddcf38 100644
--- a/packages/router/src/utils/config_matching.ts
+++ b/packages/router/src/utils/config_matching.ts
@@ -60,6 +60,10 @@ export function match(
   route: Route,
   segments: UrlSegment[],
 ): MatchResult {
+  if (route.path === '**') {
+    return createWildcardMatchResult(segments);
+  }
+
   if (route.path === '') {
     if (route.pathMatch === 'full' && (segmentGroup.hasChildren() || segments.length > 0)) {
       return {...noMatch};
@@ -97,6 +101,16 @@ export function match(
   };
 }
 
+function createWildcardMatchResult(segments: UrlSegment[]): MatchResult {
+  return {
+    matched: true,
+    parameters: segments.length > 0 ? last(segments)!.parameters : {},
+    consumedSegments: segments,
+    remainingSegments: [],
+    positionalParamSegments: {},
+  };
+}
+
 export function split(
   segmentGroup: UrlSegmentGroup,
   consumedSegments: UrlSegment[],
diff --git a/packages/router/test/recognize.spec.ts b/packages/router/test/recognize.spec.ts
index a691c89cc23..9a92ec67983 100644
--- a/packages/router/test/recognize.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/router/test/recognize.spec.ts
@@ -585,58 +585,6 @@ describe('recognize', () => {
       const s = await recognize([{path: '**', component: ComponentA}], 'a/b/c/d;a1=11');
       checkActivatedRoute(s.root.firstChild!, 'a/b/c/d', {a1: '11'}, ComponentA);
     });
-
-    it('should support segments after a wildcard', async () => {
-      const s = await recognize(
-        [
-          {
-            path: 'a',
-            component: ComponentA,
-            children: [
-              {
-                path: '**/b',
-                component: ComponentB,
-              },
-            ],
-          },
-        ],
-        'a/1/2/b',
-      );
-      const a = s.root.firstChild!;
-      checkActivatedRoute(a, 'a', {}, ComponentA);
-
-      const wildcard = a.firstChild!;
-      checkActivatedRoute(wildcard, '1/2/b', {}, ComponentB);
-    });
-
-    describe('with segments after', () => {
-      const recognizer = (url: string) => {
-        const config = [
-          {
-            path: 'foo/**/bar',
-            component: ComponentA,
-          },
-        ];
-        return recognize(config, url);
-      };
-
-      it('matches a url with one segment for the wildcard', async () => {
-        const s = await recognizer('foo/a/bar');
-        checkActivatedRoute(s.root.firstChild!, 'foo/a/bar', {}, ComponentA);
-      });
-
-      it('matches a url with multiple segments for the wildcard', async () => {
-        const s = await recognizer('foo/a/b/c/bar');
-        checkActivatedRoute(s.root.firstChild!, 'foo/a/b/c/bar', {}, ComponentA);
-      });
-      it('does not match a url with no segments for the wildcard', async () => {
-        await expectAsync(recognizer('foo/bar')).toBeRejected();
-      });
-
-      it('does not match a url with a wrong suffix', async () => {
-        await expectAsync(recognizer('foo/a/b/baz')).toBeRejected();
-      });
-    });
   });
 
   describe('componentless routes', () => {