Early News and Highlights from the 2026 New gTLD Round

ICANN wrapped up its application window for the 2026 New gTLD round, and the domain world is buzzing with what comes next.

If you’ve been keeping an ear to the ground, there’s plenty of momentum—and a few early announcements. Here is a quick-hit breakdown of where things stand, what we’re watching, and what your team should do next.

The Big Numbers & Early Buzz

• Steady Volume: logged over 1,600 primary applications, of which 1100 included secondary/backup strings, a likely indicator of generic TLDs vs. dotBrands.The appetite for custom digital real estate is strong, though application volume was slightly less than the first round in 2012.
• Portfolio Bets: Big web infrastructure players are making major moves. Automattic is widely expected to expand its footprint with WordPress hinting at new gTLD bids, while on the generic portfolio side, Link Freedom Group (LFG) and Journey to the West have revealed over 300 gTLD applications each. Radix, one of the world’s largest portfolio registries, has announced 46 applications.
• Initial Contentions: Early analysis indicates several applications likely to face contentions, including .model, .bit, and .ship, among others, with multiple applications announced for each. Additionally, Texas has announced potential objections to a .texas gTLD, although no specific announcements of an application have been revealed yet.
• No More Backroom Deals: Private auctions are off the table for 2026. If contention sets can’t be resolved with secondary strings, applicants face ICANN’s official Auction of Last Resort.

What’s on the Radar in the Coming Months

ICANN is already running completeness checks and recently locked in its safeguard assessment provider to vet registry commitments. Here’s how the immediate timeline shapes up:

• Mid-September 2026: ICANN expected to announce the official date for Reveal Day.
• Mid-October 2026, Targeted Reveal Day: The full list of applied-for strings, applicants, and contention sets finally goes public.
• October 17-22, 2026, ICANN87: The next ICANN Annual General Meeting in Bali is sure to be packed with updates from the Next Round. Stay tuned for more expected announcements as their schedule is released.
• November 2026, String Confirmation Day: Applicants have 14 days from Reveal Day to choose whether to switch to their alternate string. After ICANN processes these change requests, they will publish the final list of Strings moving forward on String Confirmation Day. We expect this to occur about a month after Reveal Day.
• Late 2026 – Early 2027: Public comment periods open, GAC Early Warnings roll out, and the formal Legal Rights Objection (LRO) window kicks off.

What You Should Do Next

If you submitted an application:

• Stay vigilant: Track who is announcing what they applied for, and how those contention sets might line up.
• Prepare for feedback: Are any groups suggesting they file objections? Could the GAC, or others, seek additional information?
• Plan for auction: If you applied for a string that you already know, or expect others will have applied for, work with your partners to build out internal valuations and budgets.
• Get involved: Directly or indirectly, ensure you are staying up to date on ICANN discussions, policy changes both at meetings and in between.

If you didn’t apply:

• Be prepared: Track and plan for potential objections and opportunities and gain early visibility into the long-term impact of your domain and brand protection programs.
• Block out Reveal Day on your calendar: When that public list drops, run an audit against your brand names, trademarks, and core product lines.
• Have your objection strategy in mind: If someone applied for your marks or confusingly similar variations, your window to challenge or file a formal objection is short.

Regardless of where you landed in this round, keep following the team at GCD as we approach Reveal Day, and connect with us to talk through your post-application strategy. For more perspective on navigating this next chapter, check out Phil Lodico’s recent take in The dotBrand Window is Closed: What’s Next?