diff --git a/.gitlab-ci.yml b/.gitlab-ci.yml
index a7abc55a5c6..93baf98232d 100644
--- a/.gitlab-ci.yml
+++ b/.gitlab-ci.yml
@@ -1,8 +1,12 @@
+# Currently we have two build stages after our containers are built:
+#  - build (for traditional build and test or first stage build)
+#  - test (for test stages, using build artefacts from a build stage)
 stages:
   - containers
   - containers-layer2
   - containers-layer3
   - build
+  - test
 
 include:
   - local: '/.gitlab-ci.d/edk2.yml'
@@ -24,26 +28,85 @@ include:
         ../configure --enable-werror $CONFIGURE_ARGS ;
       fi
     - make -j"$JOBS"
-    - make -j"$JOBS" $MAKE_CHECK_ARGS
+    - if test -n "$MAKE_CHECK_ARGS";
+      then
+        make $MAKE_CHECK_ARGS ;
+      fi
+
+.native_test_job_template: &native_test_job_definition
+  stage: test
+  image: $CI_REGISTRY_IMAGE/qemu/$IMAGE:latest
+  script:
+    - cd build
+    - find . -type f -exec touch {} +
+    - make $MAKE_CHECK_ARGS
+
+.post_acceptance_template: &post_acceptance
+  after_script:
+    - cd build
+    - python3 -c 'import json; r = json.load(open("tests/results/latest/results.json")); [print(t["logfile"]) for t in r["tests"] if t["status"] not in ("PASS", "SKIP")]' | xargs cat
+    - du -chs $HOME/avocado/data/cache
 
-build-system1:
+build-system-ubuntu-main:
   <<: *native_build_job_definition
   variables:
     IMAGE: ubuntu2004
     TARGETS: aarch64-softmmu alpha-softmmu cris-softmmu hppa-softmmu lm32-softmmu
       moxie-softmmu microblazeel-softmmu mips64el-softmmu m68k-softmmu ppc-softmmu
       riscv64-softmmu sparc-softmmu
+  artifacts:
+    paths:
+      - build
+
+check-system-ubuntu-main:
+  <<: *native_test_job_definition
+  needs:
+    - job: build-system-ubuntu-main
+      artifacts: true
+  variables:
+    IMAGE: ubuntu2004
     MAKE_CHECK_ARGS: check
 
-build-system2:
+acceptance-system-ubuntu-main:
+  <<: *native_test_job_definition
+  needs:
+    - job: build-system-ubuntu-main
+      artifacts: true
+  variables:
+    IMAGE: ubuntu2004
+    MAKE_CHECK_ARGS: check-acceptance
+  <<: *post_acceptance
+
+build-system-fedora-alt:
   <<: *native_build_job_definition
   variables:
     IMAGE: fedora
     TARGETS: tricore-softmmu unicore32-softmmu microblaze-softmmu mips-softmmu
       riscv32-softmmu s390x-softmmu sh4-softmmu sparc64-softmmu x86_64-softmmu
       xtensa-softmmu nios2-softmmu or1k-softmmu
+  artifacts:
+    paths:
+      - build
+
+check-system-fedora-alt:
+  <<: *native_test_job_definition
+  needs:
+    - job: build-system-fedora-alt
+      artifacts: true
+  variables:
+    IMAGE: fedora
     MAKE_CHECK_ARGS: check
 
+acceptance-system-fedora-alt:
+  <<: *native_test_job_definition
+  needs:
+    - job: build-system-fedora-alt
+      artifacts: true
+  variables:
+    IMAGE: fedora
+    MAKE_CHECK_ARGS: check-acceptance
+  <<: *post_acceptance
+
 build-disabled:
   <<: *native_build_job_definition
   variables:
diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 74158f741b1..c24dfbe377f 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -289,29 +289,6 @@ jobs:
       python: 3.6
 
 
-    # Acceptance (Functional) tests
-    - name: "GCC check-acceptance"
-      dist: bionic
-      env:
-        - CONFIG="--enable-tools --target-list=aarch64-softmmu,alpha-softmmu,arm-softmmu,m68k-softmmu,microblaze-softmmu,mips-softmmu,mips64el-softmmu,nios2-softmmu,or1k-softmmu,ppc-softmmu,ppc64-softmmu,s390x-softmmu,sh4-softmmu,sparc-softmmu,x86_64-softmmu,xtensa-softmmu"
-        - TEST_CMD="make check-acceptance"
-        - CACHE_NAME="${TRAVIS_BRANCH}-linux-gcc-acceptance"
-      after_script:
-        - python3 -c 'import json; r = json.load(open("tests/results/latest/results.json")); [print(t["logfile"]) for t in r["tests"] if t["status"] not in ("PASS", "SKIP")]' | xargs cat
-        - du -chs $HOME/avocado/data/cache
-      addons:
-        apt:
-          packages:
-            - python3-pil
-            - python3-pip
-            - python3-numpy
-            - python3-opencv
-            - python3-venv
-            - rpm2cpio
-            - tesseract-ocr
-            - tesseract-ocr-eng
-
-
     # Using newer GCC with sanitizers
     - name: "GCC9 with sanitizers (softmmu)"
       addons:
diff --git a/tests/Makefile.include b/tests/Makefile.include
index 3f4448a20bc..c316e0d6647 100644
--- a/tests/Makefile.include
+++ b/tests/Makefile.include
@@ -944,7 +944,7 @@ check-acceptance: check-venv $(TESTS_RESULTS_DIR) get-vm-images
             --show=$(AVOCADO_SHOW) run --job-results-dir=$(TESTS_RESULTS_DIR) \
             --filter-by-tags-include-empty --filter-by-tags-include-empty-key \
             $(AVOCADO_TAGS) \
-            --failfast=on tests/acceptance, \
+            $(if $(GITLAB_CI),,--failfast=on) tests/acceptance, \
             "AVOCADO", "tests/acceptance")
 
 # Consolidated targets
