ICANN New gTLD Applications Reach 1,615 for 2026 Round

ICANN published 1,615 active applications for the New gTLD Program 2026 Round on Reveal Day, 7 October 2026 at 18:00 UTC. The submissions came from 481 applicants after the application window closed on 12 August 2026.

Application Breakdown and Regional Distribution

The 1,615 applications include 333 brand strings, 16 community-based proposals, and 15 self-identified geographic names. Fifty-one applications qualified through the Applicant Support Program. Twenty-one strings are internationalized domain names, and nine represent variants of other strings.

North American applicants filed 864 applications, followed by Europe with 506. Asia, Australia and the Pacific region accounted for 218 submissions. Africa submitted 16 applications, and Latin America and the Caribbean filed 11.

Two hundred sixty-three preliminary contention sets cover 891 applications where multiple parties seek the same string. The largest sets include .agent with 13 applicants, .bit with 11 applicants, and .api, .hub and .brand each drawing 10 applicants. Final contention sets will be confirmed on String Confirmation Day.

AI Domains Attract Multiple Applicants

Several strings tied to artificial intelligence received high numbers of applications. .agent drew 13 applicants, including OPENAI OPCO, LLC and Meta Registry Holdings LLC. .agi received seven applications, one of which came from OpenAI. .asi attracted five applicants.

OpenAI submitted roughly 15 primary applications in total. These cover both brand strings such as .openai and .chatgpt as well as generic terms. The volume of interest in AI-related strings reflects broader industry efforts to secure distinctive online identities.

ICANN CEO Kurtis Lindqvist stated that the applications demonstrate global innovation in online identities and communities. The organization will conduct evaluations according to the multistakeholder policy framework established for the round.

Evaluation Timeline and Next Steps

The Replacement Period ends on 21 October 2026. String Confirmation Day is scheduled for 17 November 2026, when final strings and contention sets will be published. Community input and formal objections may be filed through 16 March 2027.

Subsequent phases include application evaluation, a prioritization draw if required, contracting, and delegation. No strings have been approved or delegated at this stage. The 2026 round follows the 2012 round, which received approximately 1,930 applications and resulted in more than 1,200 delegated top-level domains.

Domain registrars and existing registry operators are monitoring the process for opportunities to expand their portfolios. The addition of new top-level domains is expected to increase choice for registrants once the evaluation and delegation phases conclude in 2027 and beyond.