diff --git a/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py b/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
index 706d3962224..892c7ec2f50 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/playbook/play.py
@@ -103,6 +103,8 @@ class Play(Base, Taggable, CollectionSearch):
     @staticmethod
     def load(data, variable_manager=None, loader=None, vars=None):
         if ('name' not in data or data['name'] is None) and 'hosts' in data:
+            if data['hosts'] is None or all(host is None for host in data['hosts']):
+                raise AnsibleParserError("Hosts list cannot be empty - please check your playbook")
             if isinstance(data['hosts'], list):
                 data['name'] = ','.join(data['hosts'])
             else: