ICANN New gTLD Round 2026 Receives 1,615 Active Applications

ICANN published 1,615 active applications for the New gTLD Program 2026 Round on Reveal Day, October 7, 2026. The applications came from 481 entities and followed a submission window that ran from April 30 to August 12, 2026. Of 1,663 total submissions, 1,616 completed payment, with one later placed under administrative review.

Application Breakdown and Regional Distribution

The published figures include 333 brand applications, 16 community-based applications, and 15 self-identified geographic names. Fifty-one applications arrived through the Applicant Support Program, while 21 covered Internationalized Domain Names and nine addressed variants. North America accounted for 864 applications, Europe for 506, Asia/Australia/Pacific for 218, Africa for 16, and Latin America and the Caribbean for 11.

These numbers reflect the first new gTLD round since 2012, when roughly 1,930 applications led to more than 1,200 delegated strings. The 2026 round targets expanded choice and competition across the domain name system. ICANN CEO Kurtis Lindqvist stated that the submissions demonstrate global interest in trusted online identities and communities, with evaluations to proceed under established multistakeholder policies.

Domain registrar applications form part of the larger set, as many applicants seek strings that could expand registry and registrar operations. The data released on October 7 remains subject to final confirmation after the upcoming String Confirmation Day.

Contention Sets and Evaluation Timeline

Approximately 986 unique strings appear across the applications. Contention affects 263 strings that involve 891 applications, or about 55 percent of the total. The largest contention set centers on .agent, with 13 applicants that include OpenAI, Google, and Meta.

The Replacement Period ran from October 8 to 21, 2026, allowing eligible applicants to submit alternate strings. String Confirmation Day is scheduled for November 17, 2026, when final strings and contention sets will be published. The Community Input and Objections Period then opens and runs through March 16, 2027, covering public comments, GAC Early Warnings, and formal objections filed through WIPO and ICC.

A 65 percent refund window for withdrawals closes on November 27, 2026. String evaluation is expected to take roughly 180 days, followed by contention resolution through Community Priority Evaluation or auctions. Contracting and delegation phases come next, with the earliest possible delegations estimated for the second quarter of 2028.