diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index 2e884cd0ce..9b76a15226 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ jobs:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
         go-version: [1.16.x, 1.17.x]
-        kafka-version: [2.8.1, 3.0.0, 3.1.0]
+        kafka-version: [3.0.0, 3.1.0]
         platform: [ubuntu-latest]
 
     env:
diff --git a/functional_test.go b/functional_test.go
index b263eb7895..38d8fd0948 100644
--- a/functional_test.go
+++ b/functional_test.go
@@ -136,28 +136,13 @@ func prepareDockerTestEnvironment(ctx context.Context, env *testEnvironment) err
 	if version, ok := os.LookupEnv("KAFKA_VERSION"); ok {
 		env.KafkaVersion = version
 	} else {
-		// We have cp-7.0.0 as the default in the docker-compose file, so that's kafka 3.0.0.
 		env.KafkaVersion = "3.1.0"
 	}
 
-	// the mapping of confluent platform docker image versions -> kafka versions can be
-	// found here: https://docs.confluent.io/current/installation/versions-interoperability.html
-	var confluentPlatformVersion string
-	switch env.KafkaVersion {
-	case "3.1.0":
-		confluentPlatformVersion = "3.1.0"
-	case "3.0.0":
-		confluentPlatformVersion = "3.0.0"
-	case "2.8.1":
-		confluentPlatformVersion = "2.8.1"
-	default:
-		return fmt.Errorf("don't know what confluent platform version to use for kafka %s", env.KafkaVersion)
-	}
-
 	c := exec.Command("docker-compose", "up", "-d")
 	c.Stdout = os.Stdout
 	c.Stderr = os.Stderr
-	c.Env = append(os.Environ(), fmt.Sprintf("CONFLUENT_PLATFORM_VERSION=%s", confluentPlatformVersion))
+	c.Env = append(os.Environ(), fmt.Sprintf("CONFLUENT_PLATFORM_VERSION=%s", env.KafkaVersion))
 	err := c.Run()
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("failed to run docker-compose to start test environment: %w", err)