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Who wants the new TLDs? Inside ICANN’s 2026 gTLD round
5 Min
1,614 applications from 453 organisations for 986 new top-level domains. Explore who wants what, where the rivalries are, and what happens next.
Published by
Thomas Pezza
Date
Updated
ICANN’s 2026 New gTLD round closed on 12 August 2026. On Reveal Day, 7 October, ICANN published every application: 1,614 applications from 453 organisations, for 986 different strings. Explore who wants what below.
Glossary
Key terms of the 2026 round
Show all 12 terms
The application
- String
- The characters of a proposed extension, e.g. agent for .agent.
- Replacement string
- An optional alternate string named in the application. In the 14 days after Reveal Day, applicants could switch to it, unless it was identical to another applicant’s string. The switch is final.
- IDN
- An extension in a non-Latin script, such as Chinese, Arabic or Cyrillic.
Contention
- Contention set
- Applications for identical strings, or for strings so similar in look, sound or meaning that only one of them can go live.
- Contention resolution
- Community applications can win through Community Priority Evaluation. All other contention ends in an ICANN auction. Private auctions and joint ventures are prohibited this round.
Key dates
- Reveal Day
- 7 October 2026: ICANN published all applications.
- String Confirmation Day
- 17 November 2026: ICANN publishes the final strings and the official contention sets.
Application types and labels
- Brand TLD
- An extension based on a registered trademark. Only the registry operator, its affiliates or trademark licensees may hold domains.
- Community TLD
- An application designated as serving a clearly defined community. If its string is contested, it can claim priority through Community Priority Evaluation.
- Geographic name (Geo)
- A capital city, or a city name meant to be used mainly for that city. It needs support or non-objection from the relevant government. “Self-designated” means the applicant marked the application as geographic. Country and territory names can’t be applied for.
- CoC exemption
- An exemption from ICANN’s Registry Operator Code of Conduct for extensions where the operator and its affiliates hold all domains for their own use. Not available for generic words; brand TLDs are exempt automatically.
- Applicant support
- ICANN’s support program: eligible applicants, such as non-profits or small businesses in developing economies, get 75–85% off the USD 227,000 evaluation fee, plus advice and guidance.
Source: ICANN, 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook.
The round at a glance
Where the applicants come from
More than half of all applications come from the United States. Malta and the Cayman Islands follow, home to some of the largest portfolio applicants. The arcs connect countries whose applicants want the same strings.
Who competes with whom
263 strings have more than one application. The big portfolio applicants meet again and again: Identity Digital and XYZ.COM applied for 77 of the same strings. Press play to watch the field shrink to the heavyweights.
The biggest portfolios
Every string at a glance
Search all applications
What happens next
On String Confirmation Day, 17 November 2026, ICANN publishes the final list of strings and the official contention sets. The community input and objections period then runs until March 2027. We’ll update this article when the new data is out.
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