diff --git a/Lib/sre_parse.py b/Lib/sre_parse.py
index 3d38673..ab37fd3 100644
--- a/Lib/sre_parse.py
+++ b/Lib/sre_parse.py
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@
                                        len(escape))
                 state.checklookbehindgroup(group, source)
                 return GROUPREF, group
-            raise source.error("invalid group reference", len(escape))
+            raise source.error("invalid group reference %d" % group, len(escape) - 1)
         if len(escape) == 2:
             if c in ASCIILETTERS:
                 raise source.error("bad escape %s" % escape, len(escape))
@@ -725,8 +725,8 @@
                             raise source.error("bad group number",
                                                len(condname) + 1)
                         if condgroup >= MAXGROUPS:
-                            raise source.error("invalid group reference",
-                                               len(condname) + 1)
+                            msg = "invalid group reference %d" % condgroup
+                            raise source.error(msg, len(condname) + 1)
                     state.checklookbehindgroup(condgroup, source)
                 elif char in FLAGS or char == "-":
                     # flags
@@ -883,7 +883,9 @@
     literals = []
     literal = []
     lappend = literal.append
-    def addgroup(index):
+    def addgroup(index, pos):
+        if index > pattern.groups:
+            raise s.error("invalid group reference %d" % index, pos)
         if literal:
             literals.append(''.join(literal))
             del literal[:]
@@ -916,9 +918,9 @@
                         raise s.error("bad character in group name %r" % name,
                                       len(name) + 1) from None
                     if index >= MAXGROUPS:
-                        raise s.error("invalid group reference",
+                        raise s.error("invalid group reference %d" % index,
                                       len(name) + 1)
-                addgroup(index)
+                addgroup(index, len(name) + 1)
             elif c == "0":
                 if s.next in OCTDIGITS:
                     this += sget()
@@ -939,7 +941,7 @@
                                           'range 0-0o377' % this, len(this))
                         lappend(chr(c))
                 if not isoctal:
-                    addgroup(int(this[1:]))
+                    addgroup(int(this[1:]), len(this) - 1)
             else:
                 try:
                     this = chr(ESCAPES[this][1])
@@ -966,5 +968,5 @@
         for index, group in groups:
             literals[index] = g(group) or empty
     except IndexError:
-        raise error("invalid group reference")
+        raise error("invalid group reference %d" % index)
     return empty.join(literals)
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_re.py b/Lib/test/test_re.py
index 4cdc591..3bd6d7b 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_re.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_re.py
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@
 import re
 from re import Scanner
 import sre_compile
-import sre_constants
 import sys
 import string
 import traceback
@@ -186,18 +185,19 @@
                                 r'octal escape value \777 outside of '
                                 r'range 0-0o377', 0)
 
-        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\1', 'x', 'invalid group reference')
-        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\8', 'x', 'invalid group reference')
-        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\9', 'x', 'invalid group reference')
-        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\11', 'x', 'invalid group reference')
-        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\18', 'x', 'invalid group reference')
-        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\1a', 'x', 'invalid group reference')
-        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\90', 'x', 'invalid group reference')
-        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\99', 'x', 'invalid group reference')
-        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\118', 'x', 'invalid group reference') # r'\11' + '8'
-        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\11a', 'x', 'invalid group reference')
-        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\181', 'x', 'invalid group reference') # r'\18' + '1'
-        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\800', 'x', 'invalid group reference') # r'\80' + '0'
+        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\1', 'x', 'invalid group reference 1', 1)
+        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\8', 'x', 'invalid group reference 8', 1)
+        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\9', 'x', 'invalid group reference 9', 1)
+        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\11', 'x', 'invalid group reference 11', 1)
+        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\18', 'x', 'invalid group reference 18', 1)
+        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\1a', 'x', 'invalid group reference 1', 1)
+        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\90', 'x', 'invalid group reference 90', 1)
+        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\99', 'x', 'invalid group reference 99', 1)
+        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\118', 'x', 'invalid group reference 11', 1)
+        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\11a', 'x', 'invalid group reference 11', 1)
+        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\181', 'x', 'invalid group reference 18', 1)
+        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\800', 'x', 'invalid group reference 80', 1)
+        self.checkTemplateError('x', r'\8', '', 'invalid group reference 8', 1)
 
         # in python2.3 (etc), these loop endlessly in sre_parser.py
         self.assertEqual(re.sub('(((((((((((x)))))))))))', r'\11', 'x'), 'x')
@@ -271,9 +271,9 @@
         self.checkTemplateError('(?P<a>x)', r'\g<1a1>', 'xx',
                                 "bad character in group name '1a1'", 3)
         self.checkTemplateError('(?P<a>x)', r'\g<2>', 'xx',
-                                'invalid group reference')
+                                'invalid group reference 2', 3)
         self.checkTemplateError('(?P<a>x)', r'\2', 'xx',
-                                'invalid group reference')
+                                'invalid group reference 2', 1)
         with self.assertRaisesRegex(IndexError, "unknown group name 'ab'"):
             re.sub('(?P<a>x)', r'\g<ab>', 'xx')
         self.assertEqual(re.sub('(?P<a>x)|(?P<b>y)', r'\g<b>', 'xx'), '')
@@ -558,10 +558,11 @@
                                'two branches', 10)
 
     def test_re_groupref_overflow(self):
-        self.checkTemplateError('()', r'\g<%s>' % sre_constants.MAXGROUPS, 'xx',
-                                'invalid group reference', 3)
-        self.checkPatternError(r'(?P<a>)(?(%d))' % sre_constants.MAXGROUPS,
-                               'invalid group reference', 10)
+        from sre_constants import MAXGROUPS
+        self.checkTemplateError('()', r'\g<%s>' % MAXGROUPS, 'xx',
+                                'invalid group reference %d' % MAXGROUPS, 3)
+        self.checkPatternError(r'(?P<a>)(?(%d))' % MAXGROUPS,
+                               'invalid group reference %d' % MAXGROUPS, 10)
 
     def test_re_groupref(self):
         self.assertEqual(re.match(r'^(\|)?([^()]+)\1$', '|a|').groups(),
@@ -1007,7 +1008,7 @@
         self.checkPatternError(r"\567",
                                r'octal escape value \567 outside of '
                                r'range 0-0o377', 0)
-        self.checkPatternError(r"\911", 'invalid group reference', 0)
+        self.checkPatternError(r"\911", 'invalid group reference 91', 1)
         self.checkPatternError(r"\x1", r'incomplete escape \x1', 0)
         self.checkPatternError(r"\x1z", r'incomplete escape \x1', 0)
         self.checkPatternError(r"\u123", r'incomplete escape \u123', 0)
@@ -1061,7 +1062,7 @@
         self.checkPatternError(br"\567",
                                r'octal escape value \567 outside of '
                                r'range 0-0o377', 0)
-        self.checkPatternError(br"\911", 'invalid group reference', 0)
+        self.checkPatternError(br"\911", 'invalid group reference 91', 1)
         self.checkPatternError(br"\x1", r'incomplete escape \x1', 0)
         self.checkPatternError(br"\x1z", r'incomplete escape \x1', 0)
 
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index b29d062..0021b19 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -23,6 +23,12 @@
 Library
 -------
 
+- Issue #25953: re.sub() now raises an error for invalid numerical group
+  reference in replacement template even if the pattern is not found in
+  the string.  Error message for invalid group reference now includes the
+  group index and the position of the reference.
+  Based on patch by SilentGhost.
+
 - Issue #18219: Optimize csv.DictWriter for large number of columns.
   Patch by Mariatta Wijaya.