With the application window for the 2026 new gTLD round officially closed, ICANN has transitioned from intake to processing. Over 1,600 applications were submitted , with more than 135 already in contention based upon public disclosures.
While the broader market waits for ICANN’s official Reveal Day, the competitive landscape is already taking shape. A wave of voluntary disclosures by several early applicants has surfaced over 700 known strings, giving us our first look at early portfolio strategies and the initial contention hotspots.
Big Investments’ Step Forward
Several registry operators and investor groups have disclosed large portfolios right out of the gate, see our current list of public gTLD application announcements here:
- Journey to the West (323 strings): The largest single portfolio disclosed to date. Spanning both primary and replacement strings, it features a heavy concentration of Chinese-script Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) alongside commercial generics and at least a few applications for TLDs that already exist.
- LFG / Nova Registry (316 strings): A massive commercial filing targeting high-frequency consumer, digital, and commercial generic terms. This entity was one of the first to publicly announce their intent to apply for hundreds of strings and it appears they followed through. Mid-Sized & Specialized Portfolios: Focused batches disclosed by ShortDot (40 primary strings, 40 alternate strings), Oinkadot (25 strings), Phoenix Domain Partners (13 strings), Suffix (13 strings), and Name Space (10 strings).
Early Clashes: 135+ Strings in Pre-Reveal Contention
Even with only a portion of the 1,600+ applications publicly acknowledged, preliminary overlap reveals that at least 135 strings are already claimed by two or more competing entities:
- Two-Way Contests: Direct head-to-head competition over popular consumer and technology terms including .bit, .hack, .moon, .stack, .tea, .easy, .gram, and .hello.
- More Contested Battles: Crowded early contention on high-value generic concepts including .bit, .chain, .super, .robot, .token, .anime, and .factory.
These early disclosures lean heavily toward speculative, open, and investor-led registries. Most corporate dotBrand applicants have chosen to keep their applications confidential until ICANN publishes the official list on Reveal Day. Some have speculated about why these portfolio applicants chose to publicly disclose the strings they applied for; there is a chance these applicants hope to exploit this opportunity for communication between applicants for the same strings before contention sets are initially announced on that day. This is a bit of a grey space as the applicant guidebook states that applicants in contention are not allowed to communicate after strings are announced on Reveal Day. When the day arrives, the number of strings in contention is expected to grow considerably.
Behind the Scenes: Evaluation Panels & Policy Tracks
While applications undergo administrative review, ICANN’s operational machinery is advancing right on schedule. Vendor evaluation panels have already been appointed, including Analysis Mason for Geographic and Reserved Names checks, and Mirror Group for Safeguard Assessments (which assess open, sensitive registry operations rather than closed corporate dotBrand ecosystems).
In parallel, ICANN is closing the public comment period on integrating alternative naming systems (Web3) ahead of ICANN87 in Bali. The initial report proposes strict guardrails for registries servicing both worlds; it recommends that any name in an alternative namespace must have a corresponding domain registered in the authoritative DNS to prevent namespace conflicts.
What Lies Ahead: Deciding on Your Next Steps
Reveal Day is when preparation turns into decisions. ICANN publishes every application that cleared the Administrative Check, along with the contention sets, within nine weeks of the submission period closing. From that point you face a short sequence of deadlines, each carrying a different cost.
The Replacement Period (First 14 Days)
If you designated a replacement string at submission, you have 14 days from Reveal Day to swap it in through TAMS. The switch is irreversible, and it doesn’t guarantee you escape contention: a replacement string can still be pulled in later through Singular/Plural Notification, String Similarity Evaluation, or a String Confusion Objection. If you do nothing, you proceed on your original string and lose the option.
The dotBrand String Change
A dotBrand String Change is available only to applications that qualify for Spec 13 and are already in contention, and it comes after String Confirmation Day. You have 30 days from whichever trigger applies: contention sets forming after String Similarity Evaluation, a String Confusion Objection determination, or an appeal determination. The change must add a word or words to the original string, with no substitutions and no translations, and every added word must already appear in the goods-and-services description of the trademark supporting your application. The resulting string cannot create or expand a contention set.
Refund Windows
Refunds on the evaluation fee step down in three tiers: 65% through 10 days after String Confirmation Day, 35% from day 11 until Application and Applicant Evaluation begins, and 20% from that point until you sign the Registry Agreement. The request has to be submitted with the withdrawal; withdraw without asking and you forfeit it permanently. The 65% tier closes just over three weeks after Reveal Day, shortly after your replacement decision has locked in, so the most expensive choices arrive first.
Next Steps for Your Namespace
Whether you are navigating potential contention on a generic string or preparing internal governance and launch roadmaps for a proprietary corporate dotBrand, having a clear post-delegation strategy is essential.
