diff --git a/babel-python39a6-compat.patch b/babel-python39a6-compat.patch
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2679200
--- /dev/null
+++ b/babel-python39a6-compat.patch
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+commit f3651bebd3216cc276f7642c3807cc8d08f2bd23
+Author: Felix Schwarz <felix.schwarz@oss.schwarz.eu>
+Date:   Tue May 5 08:05:56 2020 +0000
+
+    fix tests when using Python 3.9a6
+    
+    In Python 3.9a6 integer values for future flags were changed to prevent
+    collision with compiler flags. We need to retrieve these at runtime so
+    the test suite works with Python <= 3.8 as well as Python 3.9.
+
+diff --git a/tests/test_util.py b/tests/test_util.py
+index a6a4450..b9343aa 100644
+--- a/tests/test_util.py
++++ b/tests/test_util.py
+@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
+ # individuals. For the exact contribution history, see the revision
+ # history and logs, available at http://babel.edgewall.org/log/.
+ 
++import __future__
+ import unittest
+ 
+ import pytest
+@@ -20,6 +21,12 @@ from babel._compat import BytesIO
+ from babel.util import parse_future_flags
+ 
+ 
++class _FF:
++    division         = __future__.division.compiler_flag
++    print_function   = __future__.print_function.compiler_flag
++    with_statement   = __future__.with_statement.compiler_flag
++    unicode_literals = __future__.unicode_literals.compiler_flag
++
+ def test_distinct():
+     assert list(util.distinct([1, 2, 1, 3, 4, 4])) == [1, 2, 3, 4]
+     assert list(util.distinct('foobar')) == ['f', 'o', 'b', 'a', 'r']
+@@ -70,25 +77,25 @@ def test_parse_encoding_non_ascii():
+ from __future__ import print_function,
+     division, with_statement,
+     unicode_literals
+-''', 0x10000 | 0x2000 | 0x8000 | 0x20000),
++''', _FF.print_function | _FF.division | _FF.with_statement | _FF.unicode_literals),
+     ('''
+ from __future__ import print_function, division
+ print('hello')
+-''', 0x10000 | 0x2000),
++''', _FF.print_function | _FF.division),
+     ('''
+ from __future__ import print_function, division, unknown,,,,,
+ print 'hello'
+-''', 0x10000 | 0x2000),
++''', _FF.print_function | _FF.division),
+     ('''
+ from __future__ import (
+     print_function,
+     division)
+-''', 0x10000 | 0x2000),
++''', _FF.print_function | _FF.division),
+     ('''
+ from __future__ import \\
+     print_function, \\
+     division
+-''', 0x10000 | 0x2000),
++''', _FF.print_function | _FF.division),
+ ])
+ def test_parse_future(source, result):
+     fp = BytesIO(source.encode('latin-1'))
diff --git a/babel.spec b/babel.spec
index 8fad83b..8456b5d 100644
--- a/babel.spec
+++ b/babel.spec
@@ -22,12 +22,14 @@
 
 Name:           babel
 Version:        2.8.0
-Release:        2%{?dist}
+Release:        3%{?dist}
 Summary:        Tools for internationalizing Python applications
 
 License:        BSD
 URL:            http://babel.pocoo.org/
 Source0:        https://files.pythonhosted.org/packages/source/B/%{srcname}/%{srcname}-%{version}.tar.gz
+# https://github.com/python-babel/babel/pull/712
+Patch0:         babel-python39a6-compat.patch
 
 BuildArch:      noarch
 
@@ -121,7 +123,7 @@ Documentation for Babel
 %endif
 
 %prep
-%autosetup -n %{srcname}-%{version}
+%autosetup -p1 -n %{srcname}-%{version}
 
 %build
 %if %{with python2}
@@ -178,6 +180,9 @@ export TZ=America/New_York
 %endif
 
 %changelog
+* Tue May 05 2020 Felix Schwarz <fschwarz@fedoraproject.org> - 2.8.0-3
+- add patch for compatibility with Python 3.9a6
+
 * Tue Jan 28 2020 Fedora Release Engineering <releng@fedoraproject.org> - 2.8.0-2
 - Rebuilt for https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Fedora_32_Mass_Rebuild