The application window for the next round of ICANN’s New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program officially closed on August 12 after a 15-week period, with more than 1,600 applications submitted.

This is an important milestone for organizations that have applied for a top-level domain and for brands, communities and sectors considering if and how they should react. An initial analysis of the applications reveals a clear focus on generic strings, with multiple parties applying for the same string.

1,600 applications, but how many will make it?

Of the 1,600 primary applications submitted, more than 1,100 included a replacement string, meaning many applicants have identified an alternative that could be used if their preferred option is contested. As ICANN hasn’t published the full list, we don’t know how many unique strings were applied for. However, the number seems smaller than in 2012, when the counter stopped at 1,930 applications.

This doesn’t necessarily mean there will be 1,600 unique new extensions. Multiple applicants may have applied for the same strings, and financial issues or objections from brands or communities may lead to termination of the process. Even taking this into account, the new round will represent a significant expansion of the domain name space. The number of new strings will probably exceed 1,000, a considerable increase from the approximately 1,600 operational today.

Payment is the next milestone

Applicants were due to pay $227,000 US per string by August 19, 2026, or seven days after the invoice was sent. The final number of applications will only be confirmed once ICANN has received the required evaluation fees. Once this stage is complete, we’ll have a clearer picture of how many applications will move forward.

Reveal Day draws near

The next major milestone is Reveal Day in mid-October. Following an administrative review of the received applications, ICANN will publish the public-facing portions of those that passed the Administrative Check. This will reveal which gTLDs have been applied for and which strings may be in contention with one another.

ICANN expects Reveal Day to take place no later than nine weeks after the application window closes, unless extraordinary circumstances arise. This puts it just before the next ICANN meeting in Denpasar, Bali, which starts on October 17. ICANN also expects to announce the Reveal Day date and the timeline for subsequent milestones in mid-September 2026. For applicants and observers, this will be the moment when the shape of the round becomes visible, revealing which strings are unique, which are contested and which categories have attracted the most interest.

Signs of contention already visible

Although the full picture is yet unclear, some major applicants have already shared parts of their plans. The Link Freedom Group has described itself as “the largest ICANN applicant in history” and says it’s exploring more than 300 proposed gTLDs for a modern internet. Other announced applications suggest some strings may become contentious. Published applications show overlap between Link Freedom Group, Endpoint Domains and Oinkadot for strings such as .big, .true, .private and .bit.

A round driven by generic strings

Based on the announcements so far, generic strings appear to be leading the way, accounting for the majority of the more than 706 unique strings already announced. There’s also the number of applications with backup string to consider. Since more than 1,100 identified an alternate string, it appears that fewer than 500 brands have applied, as it’s unlikely a brand would apply for an alternative to its own name.

Hello Registry will continue to monitor the round

Hello Registry will follow the next steps closely, including the announcement of Reveal Day and the publication of the full list of applied-for strings. We’re also pleased to share that Strategizes and Meditative Mind will be among our partners for the next round. Further partnership announcements are planned leading up to and following the ICANN meeting in Bali.

While the application window has closed, applicants can continue to select or change their Registry Service Provider before ICANN’s Application Evaluation phase begins. If you’re reviewing your RSP options for Round 2 and want to learn more about Hello Registry and what we offer, please visit helloregistry.com.