diff --git a/tests/src/unit-items-cpp17.cpp b/tests/src/unit-items-cpp17.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..577dcea56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/src/unit-items-cpp17.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+//     __ _____ _____ _____
+//  __|  |   __|     |   | |  JSON for Modern C++ (supporting code)
+// |  |  |__   |  |  | | | |  version 3.12.0
+// |_____|_____|_____|_|___|  https://github.com/nlohmann/json
+//
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2013-2026 Niels Lohmann <https://nlohmann.me>
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+// This file contains the C++17-only part of unit-items.cpp (structured
+// bindings support for json::items()). It is kept in a separate
+// translation unit so the (much larger) unit-items.cpp does not need to
+// be compiled a second time just for this one SECTION.
+
+#include "doctest_compatibility.h"
+
+#include <nlohmann/json.hpp>
+using nlohmann::json;
+
+#ifdef JSON_HAS_CPP_17
+#include <map>
+#include <string>
+
+TEST_CASE("items()")
+{
+    SECTION("object")
+    {
+        SECTION("structured bindings")
+        {
+            json j = { {"A", 1}, {"B", 2} };
+
+            std::map<std::string, int> m;
+
+            for (auto const&[key, value] : j.items())
+            {
+                m.emplace(key, value);
+            }
+
+            CHECK(j.get<decltype(m)>() == m);
+        }
+    }
+}
+#endif
diff --git a/tests/src/unit-items.cpp b/tests/src/unit-items.cpp
index fa8948447..81959db8d 100644
--- a/tests/src/unit-items.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/unit-items.cpp
@@ -862,22 +862,6 @@ TEST_CASE("items()")
 
             CHECK(counter == 3);
         }
-
-#ifdef JSON_HAS_CPP_17
-        SECTION("structured bindings")
-        {
-            json j = { {"A", 1}, {"B", 2} };
-
-            std::map<std::string, int> m;
-
-            for (auto const&[key, value] : j.items())
-            {
-                m.emplace(key, value);
-            }
-
-            CHECK(j.get<decltype(m)>() == m);
-        }
-#endif
     }
 
     SECTION("const object")
diff --git a/tests/src/unit-regression1.cpp b/tests/src/unit-regression1.cpp
index fdc3fdd05..0529f83dd 100644
--- a/tests/src/unit-regression1.cpp
+++ b/tests/src/unit-regression1.cpp
@@ -31,10 +31,6 @@ using nlohmann::json;
 #include "make_test_data_available.hpp"
 #include "test_utils.hpp"
 
-#ifdef JSON_HAS_CPP_17
-    #include <variant>
-#endif
-
 #include "fifo_map.hpp"
 
 /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////