The New Domain Extensions Coming From ICANN's 2026 Round
ICANN received more than 1,600 applications for new top-level domains before the window closed in August, the first expansion of the domain system in over a decade. Here is what was applied for, when they arrive, and what it means for everyone else.
September 21, 20266 min readTLDs · ICANN · New gTLDs
The short answer. ICANN's second new gTLD application window ran from 30 April to 12 August 2026 and closed with more than 1,600 primary applications. It is the first expansion of the top-level domain space since 2012. Evaluation takes years, so the earliest new extensions reach the public toward the end of this decade rather than next month.
What happened
The domain name system had roughly two dozen generic top-level domains until 2012, when ICANN's first new gTLD round added over a thousand, producing .app, .dev, .shop, .xyz and the rest of the modern extension landscape.
The second round opened on 30 April 2026, ran for 105 days, and closed on 12 August 2026 at 23:59 UTC.
At close, ICANN reported more than 1,600 primary applications, of which more than 1,100 included applications for replacement strings. ICANN noted that final totals cannot be confirmed until evaluation fees are paid, so the number will settle somewhat below the headline.
What people applied for
Applications fall into four broad shapes.
Brand TLDs. A company applying for its own name as an extension, used for its own properties. The 2012 round produced many of these, with mixed enthusiasm afterwards. They give a company complete control of a namespace and remove any dependency on another registry.
Generic strings. Ordinary words operated as open extensions anyone can register under. These are the ones that eventually appear in your registrar's search results.
Geographic names. Cities and regions, which existing examples like .berlin and .london established as viable.
Community strings. Extensions tied to a defined community, which carry additional evaluation requirements and priority in contention.
The round also significantly expanded internationalised domain names, accepting applications in 27 scripts covering hundreds of languages including Arabic, Chinese, Devanagari and Thai. For a large share of the world's population this is the more consequential half of the round, since it makes addresses expressible in the script people actually write in.
When they actually arrive
Slowly. The 2012 round is the guide: applications closed in 2012 and the first new extensions were delegated in late 2013, with the bulk arriving across 2014 and 2015 and some contested strings taking years longer.
The stages ahead:
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Evaluation | ICANN assesses technical, financial and operational capability |
| Objections | Third parties may object on legal, community or confusion grounds |
| Contention resolution | Where several applicants want the same string, resolved by agreement or auction |
| Contracting | Successful applicants sign a registry agreement |
| Delegation | The extension enters the DNS root |
| Launch | Sunrise for trademark holders, then general availability |
Expect the earliest general availability toward the end of the decade, and contested strings later still.
What it means if you own domains
Nothing urgent. No existing registration is affected. Your domains continue exactly as they are.
Sunrise periods will come. Each new extension runs a sunrise phase where trademark holders can register matching names before the public. If you hold registered trademarks, this is the mechanism to watch, and it requires a Trademark Clearinghouse record to use.
Defensive registration will be pitched to you. Aggressively, as it was after 2012. Be skeptical. The 2012 round demonstrated that most new extensions attract little traffic, and defending a brand across hundreds of extensions is an unbounded cost with poor returns. The lookalike domain maths applies here too: the permutation space is larger than any budget.
A few will matter. After 2012, a small number of extensions achieved real adoption while most did not. The pattern favours short, genuinely useful generic words and extensions with a category that wants them.
Should you have applied?
The window is closed, so this is retrospective, but it is worth understanding why the number is 1,600 rather than 10,000.
Applying is expensive. The evaluation fee alone runs to six figures, before legal work, technical infrastructure, registry operations and the possibility of an auction against a better-funded applicant for the same string. Running a registry is then an ongoing regulated business with contractual obligations to ICANN.
It is a serious undertaking for organisations with a strategic reason, not a speculative purchase.
If you missed it and want one, the realistic options are waiting for a subsequent round, which ICANN has indicated should follow more predictably than the fourteen-year gap after 2012, or acquiring an existing extension from its operator.
What to do now
If you hold trademarks, get them into the Trademark Clearinghouse so sunrise participation is available when these launch.
If you own a portfolio, do nothing yet. Watch which extensions are delegated and whether any achieve adoption before spending on defensive registrations.
If you are naming a company now, this changes nothing for several years. Pick from what exists, using the trade-offs in .com vs .io vs .ai.
If you are curious what exists today, our TLD directory covers the extensions currently available along with live pricing.
Common questions
How many new domain extensions are coming?
ICANN received more than 1,600 primary applications before the window closed on 12 August 2026. The final number will be lower once evaluation fees, objections and contention resolution are accounted for.
When will the new gTLDs be available?
Not for several years. Based on the 2012 round, evaluation, objections, contracting and delegation take multiple years, so the earliest general availability is likely toward the end of the decade.
Do I need to defend my brand in new extensions?
Rarely across the board. Register a Trademark Clearinghouse record so you can participate in sunrise periods selectively, then defend only in extensions that achieve real adoption.
How much does it cost to apply for a TLD?
The evaluation fee alone is a six-figure sum, before legal, technical and operational costs, and before any auction for a contested string. It is a business commitment rather than a purchase.
Will there be another round?
ICANN has indicated future rounds should follow more predictably than the fourteen-year gap between 2012 and 2026, though no date is fixed.
What are internationalised domain names?
Domain names written in non-Latin scripts. The 2026 round accepted applications in 27 scripts covering hundreds of languages, which matters enormously for regions where the Latin alphabet is not the writing system.
Put the research to work.
Check your shortlist across the extensions that matter, then save the strongest names to a project.
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