The 2026 Round in One Paragraph
For the first time since 2012, ICANN opened applications for entirely new generic top-level domains — the part of a web address after the last dot. The application window ran from April 30 to August 12, 2026, and on Reveal Day, October 7, 2026, ICANN published every application moving forward: 1,615 of them. Nothing from this round can be registered yet. Between Reveal Day and the first live registrations sits a multi-year pipeline of confirmation, objections, evaluation, contracting, and delegation — and the earliest realistic registrations are still more than a year away.
This post is the full timeline, phase by phase, with the dates ICANN has actually confirmed, the dates that are still estimates, and what each phase means if you are a brand owner, a domain investor, or simply someone waiting to register a name under a new extension.
How We Got Here: The Road to the 2026 Round
The last time ICANN ran an open round for new gTLDs was 2012. That round produced the extensions we now take for granted — .app, .dev, .blog, .shop, and hundreds more. Since then, the only way to get a new extension was to wait. The 2026 round is the next chapter, and it runs under a new rulebook: the 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook, which the ICANN Board adopted on October 30, 2025.
Applicants paid a $227,000 evaluation fee per application. That fee alone explains why this round is dominated by serious players: registries, big brands, and geographic and community applicants — not speculators filing on a whim.
Reveal Day by the Numbers
On October 7, 2026, at 18:00 UTC, ICANN published the applications proceeding in the round. The snapshot:
- 1,615 applications published on Reveal Day, from more than 1,600 submitted during the window.
- 333 brand TLDs — companies applying for their own name as an extension (think .google-style, single-owner extensions).
- 16 community-based applications and 15 self-identified geographic names.
- 21 internationalized domain name (IDN) applications — extensions in non-Latin scripts.
- 51 applicants qualified for the Applicant Support Program, which assists applicants from underserved regions.
These numbers are provisional. Applicants could still swap to a pre-declared replacement string until October 21, 2026, so the final list is only locked on String Confirmation Day. For the full Reveal Day list, see our earlier post on every applied-for TLD that matters and our explainer on what Reveal Day means for domain buyers.
The Full Timeline: From Reveal Day to Delegation
Here is every phase, in order, with confirmed dates where ICANN has published them and estimates clearly marked where it has not.
Phase | Date | What happens |
|---|---|---|
Application window | April 30 – August 12, 2026 | Applications submitted through ICANN's portal. Closed; timing within the window made no difference. |
Evaluation fee deadline | August 19, 2026 | $227,000 per application due (or seven days after invoice, whichever is later). |
Reveal Day | October 7, 2026, 18:00 UTC | ICANN publishes every applied-for string, each applicant's identity, the public portions of applications, and the first contention sets. |
Replacement period | October 8–21, 2026 | Applicants in contention could switch to the replacement string named in their application. |
String Confirmation Day | November 17, 2026 | Final list of strings and updated contention sets published. Opens the Community Input and Objections Period. |
Withdrawal refund deadline | November 27, 2026 | Last chance to withdraw with a 65% refund of the evaluation fee ($147,550). |
Community Input and Objections Period | November 17, 2026 – March 16, 2027 | Anyone can comment on applications; formal objections (string confusion, legal rights, community, public interest) are filed here. |
String evaluation | ~180 days from November 17, 2026 | ICANN evaluates each application on technical, operational, and financial grounds. |
Prioritization Draw | First half of 2027 (expected) | Draw sets the order in which applications are processed toward contracting. |
Contracting and delegation | From ~15.5 months after String Confirmation Day | Successful applicants sign a registry agreement; the TLD is delegated into the DNS root zone. Earliest realistic availability: early 2028. |
One honest caveat: ICANN has published firm dates only through the objections window. Everything after that — evaluation results, the draw, contracting, delegation — is an estimate drawn from the Applicant Guidebook's expected durations. Those dates can and do move.
What Each Phase Actually Decides
String Confirmation Day (November 17, 2026): the list stops moving
Until this day, the application list is a draft. Replacement strings can still swap in, and withdrawals can still shrink contention sets. On November 17, ICANN publishes the final list and the final contention sets — groups of applications for identical strings, where only one applicant can ultimately win. If you are tracking a string you hope to register under one day, this is the day its applicant field becomes final.
The Objections Period (to March 16, 2027): the public's only window
From November 17, 2026 to March 16, 2027, brand owners and other interested parties can comment on or formally object to applications. This is the phase that decides whether a string is confusingly similar to an existing trademark or TLD, whether a community application genuinely represents its community, and whether a string raises public-interest concerns. If you own a trademark that collides with an applied-for string, this window — not some later date — is when you act.
String Evaluation (~180 days): pass or fail
ICANN expects evaluation to take around 180 days from String Confirmation Day. Each application is scored on technical and operational capability, financial stability, and registry services. Applications that fail can, in some cases, be cured; applications that pass move toward contracting.
Contention Resolution: one winner per string
Where several applicants want the same string, contention must be resolved before any of them can proceed. Applicants may settle privately or go through ICANN's contention-resolution process. Strings with no contention move faster; contested strings can take significantly longer, which is why some extensions will launch well before others from the same round.
Contracting and Delegation: the finish line
A successful applicant signs a Base Registry Agreement with ICANN and then has a limited window — 12 months under the agreement, extendable — to get the TLD delegated into the root zone. Only after delegation can the registry open registrations, and even then, trademark holders typically get a sunrise period first. Per the Applicant Guidebook's expected durations, delegation begins roughly 15.5 months after String Confirmation Day, putting the earliest realistic availability in early 2028 — and later for contested or slower-moving strings.
What This Means for You
If you are… | What to do now | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
A brand owner | Check the final list on November 17, 2026 for strings matching your trademarks; file objections before March 16, 2027 if needed. | The objections window and any contention sets involving your brand terms. |
A domain investor | Track which generic-word strings survive confirmation and evaluation — those are the future inventory. | Evaluation results and the Prioritization Draw order in early 2027. |
A startup founder | Do not plan a launch around a 2026-round extension. Build on a live TLD today; treat a new extension as a future upgrade. | Delegation announcements from early 2028 onward. |
Just curious | Browse the published application list on ICANN's application status portal. | The first delegated strings — the round's real finish line. |
Three Mistakes to Avoid
- Don't "pre-register" a 2026-round name today. No string from this round can be registered until it is delegated and its registry opens. Anyone selling you a pre-registration is selling you a waitlist at best.
- Don't assume your favourite string will launch. Many applicants for the same string will lose in contention, and some applications will fail evaluation or be withdrawn. Treat every applied-for string as provisional until delegation.
- Don't wait for a new extension to start your business. The wait is measured in years, not months. The full list of live TLDs already gives you hundreds of options you can register today — and if you need ideas, Nomlen's AI domain generator checks availability across them instantly.
The Bottom Line
The 2026 round's timeline is a marathon, not a sprint: applications closed in August 2026, the list locks on November 17, 2026, objections run to March 2027, evaluation and the draw fill 2027, and the first new extensions should reach the root zone in early 2028 at the earliest. The dates that matter most right now are November 17, 2026 and March 16, 2027 — everything after that is an estimate to track, not a date to plan around. We will update this timeline as ICANN confirms each new milestone.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can I register a domain under a new 2026-round extension?
Not before the extension is delegated into the DNS root and its registry opens registrations. Based on the Applicant Guidebook's expected durations, the earliest realistic availability is early 2028, and contested strings will take longer.
Is the application window still open?
No. The window ran from April 30 to August 12, 2026, and ICANN has not announced a date for any round after this one.
How many applications were filed in the 2026 round?
More than 1,600 applications were submitted, and 1,615 were published on Reveal Day, October 7, 2026. The final count is confirmed on String Confirmation Day, November 17, 2026.
What is String Confirmation Day?
November 17, 2026 is the day ICANN publishes the final list of applied-for strings and the updated contention sets, and opens the Community Input and Objections Period. After this day, the list stops changing.
What is a contention set?
A group of applications for the identical string. Only one application in a contention set can ultimately be delegated, so contending applicants must resolve the contention before any of them can proceed.
How much did it cost to apply for a new gTLD?
The evaluation fee was $227,000 per application. Applicants who withdrew by November 27, 2026 could receive a 65% refund ($147,550).
What happens during the Objections Period?
From November 17, 2026 to March 16, 2027, interested parties can comment on applications and file formal objections — for example, on grounds of string confusion, legal rights, community opposition, or public interest.
What is the difference between a brand TLD and a generic TLD?
A brand TLD is applied for by a company for its own name and is typically restricted to that company's use, while a generic-word TLD (like .shop or .blog from the 2012 round) is open for public registration once launched. The 2026 round includes 333 brand applications alongside generic, community, and geographic ones.
