diff --git a/clutter/cogl/clutter-backend-cogl.c b/clutter/cogl/clutter-backend-cogl.c
index a712a4e3d..c97448cec 100644
--- a/clutter/cogl/clutter-backend-cogl.c
+++ b/clutter/cogl/clutter-backend-cogl.c
@@ -347,10 +347,6 @@ clutter_backend_cogl_create_context (ClutterBackend  *backend,
   if (!backend->cogl_context)
     goto error;
 
-  /* XXX: eventually this should go away but a lot of Cogl code still
-   * depends on a global default context. */
-  cogl_set_default_context (backend->cogl_context);
-
   return TRUE;
 
 error:
diff --git a/clutter/win32/clutter-backend-win32.c b/clutter/win32/clutter-backend-win32.c
index 220d517c6..b16e10e13 100644
--- a/clutter/win32/clutter-backend-win32.c
+++ b/clutter/win32/clutter-backend-win32.c
@@ -252,10 +252,6 @@ clutter_backend_win32_create_context (ClutterBackend  *backend,
   if (!backend->cogl_context)
     goto error;
 
-  /* XXX: eventually this should go away but a lot of Cogl code still
-   * depends on a global default context. */
-  cogl_set_default_context (backend->cogl_context);
-
   return TRUE;
 
 error: