diff --git a/cmake/QtProcessConfigureArgs.cmake b/cmake/QtProcessConfigureArgs.cmake
index 2a92ba6f830..b3ecefabad3 100644
--- a/cmake/QtProcessConfigureArgs.cmake
+++ b/cmake/QtProcessConfigureArgs.cmake
@@ -91,6 +91,11 @@ while(NOT "${configure_args}" STREQUAL "")
         foreach(qtrepo IN LISTS qtrepos)
             push("-DBUILD_${qtrepo}=OFF")
         endforeach()
+    elseif(arg STREQUAL "-submodules")
+        list(POP_FRONT configure_args submodules)
+        is_non_empty_valid_arg("${arg}" "${submodules}")
+        list(TRANSFORM submodules REPLACE "," "[[;]]")
+        push("-DQT_BUILD_SUBMODULES=${submodules}")
     elseif(arg STREQUAL "-qt-host-path")
         pop_path_argument()
         push("-DQT_HOST_PATH=${path}")
diff --git a/cmake/configure-cmake-mapping.md b/cmake/configure-cmake-mapping.md
index 7fd0efda17e..2470ff90966 100644
--- a/cmake/configure-cmake-mapping.md
+++ b/cmake/configure-cmake-mapping.md
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ The following table describes the mapping of configure options to CMake argument
 | -android-javac-source                 | -DQT_ANDROID_JAVAC_SOURCE=7                       | Set the javac build source version.                             |
 | -android-javac-target                 | -DQT_ANDROID_JAVAC_TARGET=7                       | Set the javac build target version.                             |
 | -skip <repo>,...,<repo_n>             | -DBUILD_<repo>=OFF                                |                                                                 |
+| -submodules <repo>,...,<repo_n>       | -QT_BUILD_SUBMODULES=<repo>;...;<repo>            |                                                                 |
 | -make <part>                          | -DQT_BUILD_TESTS=ON                               | A way to turn on tools explicitly is missing. If tests/examples |
 |                                       | -DQT_BUILD_EXAMPLES=ON                            | are enabled, you can disable their building as part of the      |
 |                                       |                                                   | 'all' target by also passing -DQT_BUILD_TESTS_BY_DEFAULT=OFF or |
diff --git a/config_help.txt b/config_help.txt
index 941602eb17c..1f849b938eb 100644
--- a/config_help.txt
+++ b/config_help.txt
@@ -167,6 +167,11 @@ Build environment:
 
 Component selection:
 
+  -submodules <repo>[,<repo>] ... Build the listed repositories and those they
+                         depend on rather than all checked-out repositories.
+                         The list should be separated with commas, e.g.
+                         -submodules qtsvg,qtnetworkauth
+                         [default is to build all checked out repositories]
   -skip <repo>[,<repo>]  Exclude one or more entire repositories from the
                          build. The list should be separated with commas.
                          e.g. -skip qtimageformats,qtsvg