diff --git a/packages/angular/build/src/builders/application/options.ts b/packages/angular/build/src/builders/application/options.ts
index f7e60f4cc029..9433055e159a 100644
--- a/packages/angular/build/src/builders/application/options.ts
+++ b/packages/angular/build/src/builders/application/options.ts
@@ -139,6 +139,23 @@ interface InternalOptions {
    */
   disableCodeSplitting?: boolean;
 
+  /**
+   * Marks top-level await as supported by the browser code bundle regardless of the browsers the
+   * project targets.
+   *
+   * The test bundle contains a generated TestBed initializer that imports `zone.js/testing` behind
+   * a top-level await so that the import is skipped when Zone.js is not loaded. esbuild rejects the
+   * syntax outright when the project's Browserslist configuration resolves to a browser released
+   * before top-level await was available, so the build fails before the guard can run.
+   *
+   * That configuration describes the browsers an application is deployed to. A test bundle is only
+   * ever loaded by the test runner's module runner or by a browser the runner launches, and every
+   * browser Angular supports has had top-level await since 2021.
+   *
+   * Used exclusively for tests and shouldn't be used for other kinds of builds.
+   */
+  supportTopLevelAwait?: boolean;
+
   /**
    * An array of files to restrict the TypeScript compilation root names to.
    */
@@ -463,6 +480,7 @@ export async function normalizeOptions(
     externalRuntimeStyles,
     instrumentForCoverage,
     disableCodeSplitting,
+    supportTopLevelAwait,
   } = options;
 
   // Return all the normalized options
@@ -500,6 +518,7 @@ export async function normalizeOptions(
     workspaceRoot,
     entryPoints,
     disableCodeSplitting,
+    supportTopLevelAwait,
     rootFiles: rootFiles?.map((file: string) => path.resolve(workspaceRoot, file)),
     optimizationOptions,
     outputOptions,
diff --git a/packages/angular/build/src/builders/unit-test/runners/vitest/build-options.ts b/packages/angular/build/src/builders/unit-test/runners/vitest/build-options.ts
index 622ca7beebd3..67ad9eb7ea2b 100644
--- a/packages/angular/build/src/builders/unit-test/runners/vitest/build-options.ts
+++ b/packages/angular/build/src/builders/unit-test/runners/vitest/build-options.ts
@@ -278,6 +278,9 @@ export async function getVitestBuildOptions(
     // live ESM bindings across chunk boundaries. This can cause uninitialized exports or break mocking.
     // Disabling code splitting avoids shared chunks, but increases build and coverage memory/time.
     disableCodeSplitting: !options.splitting,
+    // The generated TestBed initializer can import 'zone.js/testing' behind a top-level await.
+    // The test bundle is loaded by the test runner, not by the browsers the project targets.
+    supportTopLevelAwait: true,
     // Enable support for vitest browser prebundling. Excludes can be controlled with a runnerConfig
     // and the `optimizeDeps.exclude` option.
     externalPackages: true,
diff --git a/packages/angular/build/src/builders/unit-test/tests/behavior/vitest-top-level-await_spec.ts b/packages/angular/build/src/builders/unit-test/tests/behavior/vitest-top-level-await_spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..12669e612be0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/angular/build/src/builders/unit-test/tests/behavior/vitest-top-level-await_spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+/**
+ * @license
+ * Copyright Google LLC All Rights Reserved.
+ *
+ * Use of this source code is governed by an MIT-style license that can be
+ * found in the LICENSE file at https://angular.dev/license
+ */
+
+import { execute } from '../../index';
+import {
+  BASE_OPTIONS,
+  describeBuilder,
+  UNIT_TEST_BUILDER_INFO,
+  setupApplicationTarget,
+} from '../setup';
+
+describeBuilder(execute, UNIT_TEST_BUILDER_INFO, (harness) => {
+  describe('Behavior: "Vitest top-level await"', () => {
+    it('builds the test bundle when the project targets browsers without top-level await', async () => {
+      // Zone.js is not a polyfill but is resolvable as a transitive dependency, so the generated
+      // TestBed initializer imports 'zone.js/testing' behind a top-level await.
+      setupApplicationTarget(harness, { polyfills: [] });
+
+      await harness.writeFile('.browserslistrc', 'Chrome 88');
+
+      harness.useTarget('test', {
+        ...BASE_OPTIONS,
+      });
+
+      await harness.writeFile(
+        'src/app/app.component.spec.ts',
+        `
+        import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
+
+        describe('Top-level await', () => {
+          it('runs', () => {
+            expect(true).toBe(true);
+          });
+        });
+      `,
+      );
+
+      const { result } = await harness.executeOnce();
+      expect(result?.success).toBeTrue();
+    });
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/angular/build/src/tools/esbuild/application-code-bundle.ts b/packages/angular/build/src/tools/esbuild/application-code-bundle.ts
index af53e04f58af..d4a6d2010c44 100644
--- a/packages/angular/build/src/tools/esbuild/application-code-bundle.ts
+++ b/packages/angular/build/src/tools/esbuild/application-code-bundle.ts
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ export function createBrowserCodeBundleOptions(
       entryNames: outputNames.bundles,
       entryPoints,
       target,
-      supported: getFeatureSupport(zoneless),
+      supported: getFeatureSupport(zoneless, options.supportTopLevelAwait),
     };
 
     if (options.disableCodeSplitting) {
diff --git a/packages/angular/build/src/tools/esbuild/utils.ts b/packages/angular/build/src/tools/esbuild/utils.ts
index 3bbaabdd2400..2daac2bdac81 100644
--- a/packages/angular/build/src/tools/esbuild/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/angular/build/src/tools/esbuild/utils.ts
@@ -194,10 +194,17 @@ export async function withNoProgress<T>(text: string, action: () => T | Promise<
  * Generates a syntax feature object map for Angular applications.
  * A full set of feature names can be found here: https://esbuild.github.io/api/#supported
  * @param nativeAsyncAwait Indicate whether to support native async/await.
+ * @param topLevelAwait Indicate whether to support top-level await regardless of the target.
  * @returns An object that can be used with the esbuild build `supported` option.
  */
-export function getFeatureSupport(nativeAsyncAwait: boolean): BuildOptions['supported'] {
+export function getFeatureSupport(
+  nativeAsyncAwait: boolean,
+  topLevelAwait = false,
+): BuildOptions['supported'] {
   return {
+    // Top-level await has no downleveled form, so esbuild rejects it outright for a target without
+    // it. Only enabled for bundles that are not deployed to the browsers a project targets.
+    ...(topLevelAwait ? { 'top-level-await': true } : {}),
     // Native async/await is not supported with Zone.js. Disabling support here will cause
     // esbuild to downlevel async/await, async generators, and for await...of to a Zone.js supported form.
     'async-await': nativeAsyncAwait,