ICANN opened applications for new generic top-level domains on April 30, 2026, the first round since 2012. The window closed on August 12, 2026 at 23:59 UTC.
- 1,663 applications were submitted, and 1,616 are proceeding after the evaluation fee was paid (ICANN, September 22, 2026).
- The standard evaluation fee in the Applicant Guidebook is USD 227,000 per application, with reductions for qualified Applicant Support Program applicants.
- ICANN said it would publish the applied-for strings on “Reveal Day”, no later than nine weeks after the window closed.
Will this affect .com?
The 2012 round added hundreds of extensions, and .com is still by far the largest TLD, with 166.6 million names in Q2 2026 according to the DNIB. New extensions give brands more options, but they have not reduced demand for strong .com names.
Sources
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