ICANN receives more than 1,600 applications in 2026 new gTLD round
ICANN has closed the application window for its 2026 New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program Round, receiving more than 1,600 primary applications. The final number will depend on whether applicants complete the required evaluation fee payments, after which ICANN will begin reviewing the applications.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) closed the application window for its New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round on 12 August at 23:59 UTC. More than 1,600 primary applications had been submitted by the deadline, with more than 1,100 of these also including applications for replacement strings.
A gTLD is the part of a web address that appears at the end of a domain name, such as .com, .org or .net. ICANN’s new gTLD programme allows organisations to apply to operate new domain extensions, potentially creating additional options for businesses, communities, organisations and other applicants.
The number announced by ICANN is not yet the final application total. Applicants must still pay the required gTLD evaluation fee, and ICANN will only confirm the final number of applications after the applicable payments have been received.
For applicants, the evaluation fee must be received by whichever is later: 23:59 UTC on 19 August 2026, or 23:59 UTC seven days after the invoice was issued. For example, an invoice issued on 14 August would have a payment deadline of 23:59 UTC on 21 August.
The application window lasted 15 weeks, with most applications submitted during the final days. ICANN will now conduct an administrative review of the applications. The organisation plans to publish the public portions of applications during Reveal Day, allowing applicants and the wider public to see which gTLD strings have been requested and which applications may compete for the same or similar strings.
ICANN expects Reveal Day to take place no later than nine weeks after the application window closed, unless extraordinary circumstances arise. The exact date and the timetable for subsequent stages are expected to be announced in September.
Following the administrative review, applications will move through several stages. These include opportunities for community members to submit comments or objections, procedures for resolving cases where multiple applicants seek the same or competing domain strings, and technical and other evaluations of applicants and the requested gTLD strings.
Where several applicants seek the same string, ICANN has procedures for resolving the resulting contention sets. These procedures can include ICANN auctions, while private arrangements between applicants to resolve contention are prohibited under the programme rules.
The 2026 round is therefore moving from the application stage into the evaluation and review phase. ICANN will publish further information about the applications and upcoming deadlines as the process progresses.
