diff --git a/sql/catalyst/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/catalyst/analysis/Analyzer.scala b/sql/catalyst/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/catalyst/analysis/Analyzer.scala
index 91365fcbb9..841b85843c 100644
--- a/sql/catalyst/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/catalyst/analysis/Analyzer.scala
+++ b/sql/catalyst/src/main/scala/org/apache/spark/sql/catalyst/analysis/Analyzer.scala
@@ -215,23 +215,26 @@ class Analyzer(
   object CTESubstitution extends Rule[LogicalPlan] {
     def apply(plan: LogicalPlan): LogicalPlan = plan.resolveOperatorsUp {
       case With(child, relations) =>
-        substituteCTE(child, relations.foldLeft(Seq.empty[(String, LogicalPlan)]) {
-          case (resolved, (name, relation)) =>
-            resolved :+ name -> executeSameContext(substituteCTE(relation, resolved))
-        })
+        // substitute CTE expressions right-to-left to resolve references to previous CTEs:
+        // with a as (select * from t), b as (select * from a) select * from b
+        relations.foldRight(child) {
+          case ((cteName, ctePlan), currentPlan) =>
+            substituteCTE(currentPlan, cteName, ctePlan)
+        }
       case other => other
     }
 
-    def substituteCTE(plan: LogicalPlan, cteRelations: Seq[(String, LogicalPlan)]): LogicalPlan = {
-      plan resolveOperatorsDown {
+    def substituteCTE(plan: LogicalPlan, cteName: String, ctePlan: LogicalPlan): LogicalPlan = {
+      plan resolveOperatorsUp {
+        case UnresolvedRelation(TableIdentifier(table, None)) if resolver(cteName, table) =>
+          ctePlan
         case u: UnresolvedRelation =>
-          cteRelations.find(x => resolver(x._1, u.tableIdentifier.table))
-            .map(_._2).getOrElse(u)
+          u
         case other =>
           // This cannot be done in ResolveSubquery because ResolveSubquery does not know the CTE.
           other transformExpressions {
             case e: SubqueryExpression =>
-              e.withNewPlan(substituteCTE(e.plan, cteRelations))
+              e.withNewPlan(substituteCTE(e.plan, cteName, ctePlan))
           }
       }
     }