diff --git a/changelogs/unreleased/7569-ywk253100 b/changelogs/unreleased/7569-ywk253100
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e16d8551c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/unreleased/7569-ywk253100
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Check the existence of the namespaces provided in the "--include-namespaces" option
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/pkg/controller/backup_controller.go b/pkg/controller/backup_controller.go
index da915ed7e5..4a6656b880 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/backup_controller.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/backup_controller.go
@@ -464,7 +464,7 @@ func (b *backupReconciler) prepareBackupRequest(backup *velerov1api.Backup, logg
 	}
 
 	// validate the included/excluded namespaces
-	for _, err := range collections.ValidateNamespaceIncludesExcludes(request.Spec.IncludedNamespaces, request.Spec.ExcludedNamespaces) {
+	for _, err := range b.validateNamespaceIncludesExcludes(request.Spec.IncludedNamespaces, request.Spec.ExcludedNamespaces) {
 		request.Status.ValidationErrors = append(request.Status.ValidationErrors, fmt.Sprintf("Invalid included/excluded namespace lists: %v", err))
 	}
 
@@ -601,6 +601,24 @@ func (b *backupReconciler) validateAndGetSnapshotLocations(backup *velerov1api.B
 	return providerLocations, nil
 }
 
+func (b *backupReconciler) validateNamespaceIncludesExcludes(includedNamespaces, excludedNamespaces []string) []error {
+	var errs []error
+	if errs = collections.ValidateNamespaceIncludesExcludes(includedNamespaces, excludedNamespaces); len(errs) > 0 {
+		return errs
+	}
+
+	namespace := &corev1api.Namespace{}
+	for _, name := range collections.NewIncludesExcludes().Includes(includedNamespaces...).GetIncludes() {
+		if name == "" || name == "*" {
+			continue
+		}
+		if err := b.kbClient.Get(context.Background(), kbclient.ObjectKey{Name: name}, namespace); err != nil {
+			errs = append(errs, err)
+		}
+	}
+	return errs
+}
+
 // runBackup runs and uploads a validated backup. Any error returned from this function
 // causes the backup to be Failed; if no error is returned, the backup's status's Errors
 // field is checked to see if the backup was a partial failure.
diff --git a/pkg/controller/backup_controller_test.go b/pkg/controller/backup_controller_test.go
index 7dd3922996..3ebd465e01 100644
--- a/pkg/controller/backup_controller_test.go
+++ b/pkg/controller/backup_controller_test.go
@@ -185,10 +185,16 @@ func TestProcessBackupValidationFailures(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			name:           "use old filter parameters and new filter parameters together",
-			backup:         defaultBackup().IncludeClusterResources(true).IncludedNamespaceScopedResources("Deployment").IncludedNamespaces("default").Result(),
+			backup:         defaultBackup().IncludeClusterResources(true).IncludedNamespaceScopedResources("Deployment").IncludedNamespaces("foo").Result(),
 			backupLocation: defaultBackupLocation,
 			expectedErrs:   []string{"include-resources, exclude-resources and include-cluster-resources are old filter parameters.\ninclude-cluster-scoped-resources, exclude-cluster-scoped-resources, include-namespace-scoped-resources and exclude-namespace-scoped-resources are new filter parameters.\nThey cannot be used together"},
 		},
+		{
+			name:           "nonexisting namespace",
+			backup:         defaultBackup().IncludedNamespaces("non-existing").Result(),
+			backupLocation: defaultBackupLocation,
+			expectedErrs:   []string{"Invalid included/excluded namespace lists: namespaces \"non-existing\" not found"},
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, test := range tests {
@@ -203,10 +209,11 @@ func TestProcessBackupValidationFailures(t *testing.T) {
 			require.NoError(t, err)
 
 			var fakeClient kbclient.Client
+			namespace := builder.ForNamespace("foo").Result()
 			if test.backupLocation != nil {
-				fakeClient = velerotest.NewFakeControllerRuntimeClient(t, test.backupLocation)
+				fakeClient = velerotest.NewFakeControllerRuntimeClient(t, test.backupLocation, namespace)
 			} else {
-				fakeClient = velerotest.NewFakeControllerRuntimeClient(t)
+				fakeClient = velerotest.NewFakeControllerRuntimeClient(t, namespace)
 			}
 
 			c := &backupReconciler{
@@ -1563,6 +1570,43 @@ func TestValidateAndGetSnapshotLocations(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestValidateNamespaceIncludesExcludes(t *testing.T) {
+	namespace := builder.ForNamespace("default").Result()
+	reconciler := &backupReconciler{
+		kbClient: velerotest.NewFakeControllerRuntimeClient(t, namespace),
+	}
+
+	// empty string as includedNamespaces
+	includedNamespaces := []string{""}
+	excludedNamespaces := []string{"test"}
+	errs := reconciler.validateNamespaceIncludesExcludes(includedNamespaces, excludedNamespaces)
+	assert.Empty(t, errs)
+
+	// "*" as includedNamespaces
+	includedNamespaces = []string{"*"}
+	excludedNamespaces = []string{"test"}
+	errs = reconciler.validateNamespaceIncludesExcludes(includedNamespaces, excludedNamespaces)
+	assert.Empty(t, errs)
+
+	// invalid namespaces
+	includedNamespaces = []string{"1@#"}
+	excludedNamespaces = []string{"2@#"}
+	errs = reconciler.validateNamespaceIncludesExcludes(includedNamespaces, excludedNamespaces)
+	assert.Len(t, errs, 2)
+
+	// not exist namespaces
+	includedNamespaces = []string{"non-existing-namespace"}
+	excludedNamespaces = []string{}
+	errs = reconciler.validateNamespaceIncludesExcludes(includedNamespaces, excludedNamespaces)
+	assert.Len(t, errs, 1)
+
+	// valid namespaces
+	includedNamespaces = []string{"default"}
+	excludedNamespaces = []string{}
+	errs = reconciler.validateNamespaceIncludesExcludes(includedNamespaces, excludedNamespaces)
+	assert.Empty(t, errs)
+}
+
 // Test_getLastSuccessBySchedule verifies that the getLastSuccessBySchedule helper function correctly returns
 // the completion timestamp of the most recent completed backup for each schedule, including an entry for ad-hoc
 // or non-scheduled backups.