Updated new gTLD Timeline
ICANN has confirmed the next major milestones for the New gTLD Program: 2026 Round.
- 7 October 2026 – Reveal Day: ICANN will publish the applications proceeding through the program, including applied-for strings, applicable variant or replacement strings, contention sets, and public portions of applications. Publication is scheduled for 18:00 UTC.
- 8–21 October 2026 – Replacement Period: Applicants with eligible replacement strings may switch from their primary applied-for string during this two-week period.
- 17 November 2026 – String Confirmation Day: ICANN will publish the final list of applied-for strings and updated contention sets. This also starts the Community Input and Objections Period.
- 17 November 2026–16 March 2027 – Community Input and Objections: The ICANN community and public may provide feedback through application comments, GAC Early Warnings, singular/plural notifications, and objections.
- 19 December 2026–4 January 2027 – ICANN Office Closure: 2026 Round operations will pause during the end-of-year closure.
- First half of 2027 – Prioritization Draw: The draw is expected to determine the order in which applications and contention sets are processed after String Evaluation.
ICANN will announce dates for later milestones, including String Evaluation Results, Applicant and Application Evaluation, and contention resolution, as the timeline is confirmed.