Today, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) published the list of applications received in the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round, revealing the applied-for strings and applying entities. As required by community-developed policy set forth in the Applicant Guidebook, the published data includes the applied-for primary strings and any applicable variant or replacement strings, a list of contention sets (CSV format), and public portions of each application. The comprehensive listing can be found on the 2026 Round Application Publication and Statistics website.
"Reveal Day marks an important milestone for the next expansion of the Domain Name System," said Kurtis Lindqvist, President and Chief Executive Officer of ICANN. "These applications demonstrate how organizations around the world are innovating new ways to build trusted online identities, serve their communities, and connect with Internet users. ICANN remains focused on administering a fair, transparent, and predictable evaluation process grounded in the policies developed by our global multistakeholder community."
The application submission window was open from 30 April–12 August 2026. Highlights from the 2026 Round application data* include:
*This snapshot reflects primary string application data as of 7 October 2026. The final number and types of applications will be confirmed on String Confirmation Day.
Below is information on subsequent milestones in the program through the end of the year.
Replacement Period: 8 October 2026 (00:01 UTC)–21 October 2026 (23:59 UTC)
Following Reveal Day, applicants that applied for a second-choice or alternate "replacement" string when they submitted their gTLD application have two weeks in which they may elect to switch from their primary applied-for string to their replacement string. Applicants may switch to the replacement string only during this period, and only if their replacement string is eligible. If the replacement string is identical to another applied-for primary string, or another replacement string, it cannot be used. Applicants should be aware that replacement strings could end up in contention in the later stages of the program (e.g., as a result of a singular/plural notification or String Confusion Objection). More information on the Replacement Period is available on this webpage.
String Confirmation Day: 17 November 2026
Following the String Replacement Period, a final list of all the applied-for gTLD strings is published on String Confirmation Day, as well as an updated list of contention sets. String Confirmation Day marks the start of the Community Input and Objections Period and the final 10 days during which applicants can withdraw their application to receive a 65 percent refund of the gTLD evaluation fee paid. To receive a refund during this refund window, a request must be submitted by 23:59 UTC on 27 November 2026. More information on refunds and timing is available on this webpage.
Community Input and Objections Period: 17 November 2026–16 March 2027
The ICANN community and members of the public will have an opportunity to provide feedback on applications following String Confirmation Day. Input may come via application comments, Governmental Advisory Committee Member Early Warnings, singular/plural notifications, or objections using the Application Comment Forum. More information, including details on additional objections periods, can be found on this webpage.
ICANN Office Closure
2026 Round operations will be paused during ICANN's end-of-year office closure from 1:00 UTC on 19 December 2026 until 16:00 UTC on 4 January 2027. This pause has been factored into the Community Input and Objections Period to ensure that applicants, the community, and the public retain the full amount of allotted time to provide input or respond to objections. Additional details will be made available in the coming months.
Prioritization Draw: 2027
The Prioritization Draw sets the order that applications and contention sets will be processed following the conclusion of the String Evaluation Stage. The String Evaluation Stage is the process of reviewing applied-for gTLD strings (and their allocatable variant strings) to ensure they meet the requirements of the New gTLD Program; all strings are reviewed concurrently. As application and contention set processing will not start until after the conclusion of the String Evaluation Stage (expected to last 180 days), the Prioritization Draw will take place on a to-be-determined date in the first half of 2027. Applicants cannot attend the Draw in person but can follow the live event virtually. More information will be provided at a later date.
Future 2026 Round Milestones
ICANN will continue to work on the planning and confirmation of timelines for later 2026 Round milestones, such as the publication of String Evaluation Results and the start dates for Applicant and Application Evaluation and contention resolution, and will communicate them accordingly.
More information on the key phases of the application lifecycle can be found on the 2026 Round Applicant Journey webpage. Be sure to check the program's News and Announcements page frequently for the latest news and updates. This information also will be sent directly to entities that have submitted an application in the TLD Application Management System.