ICANN confirms 1,616 applications proceeding in 2026 new gTLD round
ICANN has confirmed that 1,616 applications will proceed in the 2026 round of the New gTLD Program, with the full list of applied-for strings expected to be published by 14 October.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has confirmed that 1,616 applications will proceed in its 2026 round of the New gTLD Program. The applications have met the payment requirement needed to continue in the process, out of 1,663 applications submitted before the application window closed in August.
The next major milestone will be Reveal Day, when ICANN will publish the public portions of the applications. This will show the generic top-level domains (gTLDs) applicants have applied for and identify strings that may be in contention with one another.
ICANN expects Reveal Day to take place no later than 14 October, in line with the Applicant Guidebook requirement that it occur within nine weeks of the application window closing. The organisation said it plans to announce the exact date and subsequent milestones early the following week.
The publication will also provide programme-level statistics through ICANN’s Application Publication and Statistics (APS) system. APS draws public-facing application information directly from the TLD Application Management System (TAMS). ICANN said testing of the systems and related processes is ongoing and on track.
Following Reveal Day, the programme will move towards further stages, including the String Replacement Period, String Confirmation Day, and the Community Input and Objections Period. These stages form part of the wider application lifecycle for the new gTLD round.
ICANN has also warned applicants and other interested parties to be cautious about information circulating publicly ahead of Reveal Day. While some potential applicants have disclosed strings they may have applied for, ICANN said it remains the source for complete and verified information on the entities participating in the round and the strings for which they have applied.
The 2026 round is the latest stage of ICANN’s New gTLD Program, which allows organisations to apply for new generic top-level domains. The publication of the applications on Reveal Day will provide the first complete public view of the strings submitted in this round.
