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. The published data includes the applied-for primary strings, variant or replacement strings, contention sets, and public portions of each application.
"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."
Highlights from the 2026 Round include 1,615 applications: 333 brand applications, 16 community-based applications, 15 self-identified geographic name applications, and 51 applications from the Applicant Support Program. Regional distribution shows 864 applications from North America, 506 from Europe, and 218 from Asia/Australia/Pacific.
Key upcoming milestones include the Replacement Period (8–21 October 2026), String Confirmation Day on 17 November 2026, and the Community Input and Objections Period from 17 November 2026 to 16 March 2027. Applicants can withdraw with a 65 percent refund until 27 November 2026.
Source: Hacker News · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing