diff --git a/Lib/test/test_builtin.py b/Lib/test/test_builtin.py
index 1d2c105ac047e1..e09135875692a3 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_builtin.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_builtin.py
@@ -1432,6 +1432,14 @@ def badfunc(x):
             raise RuntimeError
         self.assertRaises(RuntimeError, list, map(badfunc, range(5)))
 
+        it = []
+        for _ in range(100_000):
+            it = map(int, it)
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(
+            RecursionError, r"Stack overflow .* while iterating"
+        ):
+            list(it)
+
     def test_map_pickle(self):
         for proto in range(pickle.HIGHEST_PROTOCOL + 1):
             m1 = map(map_char, "Is this the real life?")
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core_and_Builtins/2026-08-15-12-14-08.gh-issue-103503.SZni1r.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core_and_Builtins/2026-08-15-12-14-08.gh-issue-103503.SZni1r.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..2095d4d4b66eb5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core_and_Builtins/2026-08-15-12-14-08.gh-issue-103503.SZni1r.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+Deeply nested ``map()`` iterators now raise ``RecursionError`` instead of
+causing a stack overflow.
diff --git a/Python/bltinmodule.c b/Python/bltinmodule.c
index cbe59c8883d5a5..4d7f639167509c 100644
--- a/Python/bltinmodule.c
+++ b/Python/bltinmodule.c
@@ -1572,11 +1572,16 @@ map_next(PyObject *self)
 {
     mapobject *lz = _mapobject_CAST(self);
     Py_ssize_t i;
+    Py_ssize_t nargs = 0;
     PyObject *small_stack[_PY_FASTCALL_SMALL_STACK];
-    PyObject **stack;
+    PyObject **stack = NULL;
     PyObject *result = NULL;
     PyThreadState *tstate = _PyThreadState_GET();
 
+    if (_Py_EnterRecursiveCallTstate(tstate, " while calling map()")) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
     const Py_ssize_t niters = PyTuple_GET_SIZE(lz->iters);
     if (niters <= (Py_ssize_t)Py_ARRAY_LENGTH(small_stack)) {
         stack = small_stack;
@@ -1585,11 +1590,9 @@ map_next(PyObject *self)
         stack = PyMem_Malloc(niters * sizeof(stack[0]));
         if (stack == NULL) {
             _PyErr_NoMemory(tstate);
-            return NULL;
+            goto exit;
         }
     }
-
-    Py_ssize_t nargs = 0;
     for (i = 0; i < niters; i++) {
         PyObject *it = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(lz->iters, i);
         PyObject *val = Py_TYPE(it)->tp_iternext(it);
@@ -1652,9 +1655,10 @@ map_next(PyObject *self)
     for (i = 0; i < nargs; i++) {
         Py_DECREF(stack[i]);
     }
-    if (stack != small_stack) {
+    if (stack != NULL && stack != small_stack) {
         PyMem_Free(stack);
     }
+    _Py_LeaveRecursiveCallTstate(tstate);
     return result;
 }