Skip to content
Get started

ICANN's 2026 New gTLD Round: Key Dates, Costs, and What It Means for Web3 Domains

ICANN's 2026 round is the first chance since 2012 to apply for a new generic top-level domain: 1,615 applications, a USD 227,000 fee, and a final list of strings due on November 17, 2026. Here is the timeline, how contention and objections work, and what none of it changes for a web3 TLD.

Freename8 min read

Dates and figures checked against ICANN's published announcements on October 26, 2026. Dates after String Confirmation Day are ICANN's expected dates and can move; the linked sources are the ones to watch.

The 2026 round is the first opportunity since 2012 to apply to ICANN for a new generic top-level domain (gTLD), the part of a web address after the last dot. Of the 1,663 applications submitted by the August 12, 2026 deadline, 1,615 were active on Reveal Day, and on November 17, 2026, String Confirmation Day, ICANN publishes the final list of applied-for strings and the contention sets. If you own a web3 TLD, or you are weighing a web3 TLD against an ICANN application, this guide covers the timeline, the costs, how disputes are settled, and where the two systems meet.

What the ICANN 2026 Round Is

A generic top-level domain (gTLD) is a top-level domain in the DNS root zone, the system that ICANN coordinates: .com, .app and .shop are gTLDs. New gTLDs enter the root only through an ICANN application round. The previous round, in 2012, drew 1,930 applications and led to more than 1,200 new gTLDs being delegated. The 2026 round opened on April 30, 2026 and closed on August 12, 2026.

On October 7, 2026, Reveal Day, ICANN published the applications moving forward in the round, those for which the evaluation fee had been paid: 1,615 applications, of which 333 are brand TLDs (a company applying for its own name), 16 community, 15 geographic and 21 internationalized domain names, with 51 applicants qualified for the Applicant Support Program. By region: North America 864, Europe 506, Asia-Pacific 218, Africa 16, Latin America and the Caribbean 11. ICANN treats these numbers as provisional until String Confirmation Day. The full list is on ICANN's application status portal, newgtldprogram-aps.icann.org.

Key Dates of the 2026 Round

  • April 30 – August 12, 2026 · Application window. Applications submitted through ICANN's portal. Closed.
  • August 19, 2026 · Evaluation fee due (or seven days after the invoice, whichever is later). USD 227,000 per application.
  • October 7, 2026 · Reveal Day. ICANN publishes the applied-for strings and the first contention sets (identical strings only).
  • October 8 – 21, 2026 · Replacement period. Eligible applicants may switch to the replacement string named in their application.
  • November 17, 2026 · String Confirmation Day. Final list of strings, updated contention sets, final application count.
  • By November 27, 2026 · Withdrawal with a 65% refund. Last date to withdraw and get that share of the evaluation fee back.
  • November 17, 2026 – March 16, 2027 · Community Input and Objections Period. Anyone can comment; parties with standing can file formal objections.
  • About 180 days from String Confirmation Day · String Evaluation. Technical, stability and similarity review of each string.
  • First half of 2027, date to be announced · Prioritization draw. A draw that sets the order in which applications move through evaluation and contention resolution.

ICANN has not yet published dates for the later steps: evaluation results, contracting and delegation. No string from this round will appear in the DNS root before those steps are complete.

What It Costs to Apply

The gTLD evaluation fee is USD 227,000 per application. It includes up to four variant strings for internationalized TLDs; a fifth variant costs the same amount again. Conditional evaluations are billed on top, for example USD 52,936 for a Community Priority Evaluation. Applicants admitted to the Applicant Support Program pay the fee with a discount of 75 to 85 percent.

The fee is the floor, not the budget. Operating a gTLD also means a registry back-end provider, legal and compliance work, and the standing obligations of an ICANN registry agreement. That is why one application in five is a brand applying for its own name (333 of 1,615), and why some web3 projects decided to stay out (see below).

How Contention Works in 2026

A contention set is a group of applications for the same string, or for strings ICANN finds too similar to coexist. Reveal Day showed 263 sets of identical strings. More can form later, through the string similarity review, singular and plural rulings, and successful string confusion objections.

The 2026 round removes the mechanism that settled most of the 234 contention sets of the 2012 round, 215 of which were resolved privately. Under Module 5, section 5.2.3 of the 2026 Applicant Guidebook, ICANN's own processes are "the only permissible path to contention resolution", and private auctions, joint ventures or any other private arrangement to resolve contention are "strictly prohibited". The two remaining routes are the Community Priority Evaluation, for eligible community applications, and the ICANN New gTLD Auction, run in an ascending-clock, second-price format. An applicant that wanted to avoid a fight could switch to its replacement string during the October window; from here on, the options are the ICANN process or withdrawal.

Objections: Who Can Challenge a String

From November 17, 2026 to March 16, 2027, anyone can submit a public comment on an application. Formal objections are reserved for parties with standing and rest on four grounds: string confusion and legal rights (handled by WIPO), limited public interest and community (handled by the International Chamber of Commerce). If you hold a trademark that matches an applied-for string, the legal rights objection is the relevant route.

What the Round Means for Web3 TLDs

A web3 TLD is a top-level domain registered on a blockchain rather than in the DNS root zone. On Freename you buy it once and own it with no renewal fees, and it resolves through compatible software: browser extensions, wallets such as MetaMask with the Freename resolution snap, and resolvers built on the Global Resolution API. An ICANN gTLD is the opposite trade: a long and expensive application in exchange for a string in the standard DNS, which every browser resolves without extra software.

Side by side:

  • Where it lives: a web3 TLD on Freename lives on a blockchain; an ICANN gTLD lives in the DNS root zone.
  • Who approves it: a web3 TLD has no application process, if the string is available you buy it; an ICANN gTLD goes through evaluation, objections and contention resolution.
  • Cost to obtain: a one-time purchase, against a USD 227,000 fee plus operating costs.
  • Time to obtain: minutes, against years from application to delegation.
  • Renewals: none, against ongoing registry fees and obligations.
  • Resolution: compatible browsers, extensions, wallets and resolvers, against the standard DNS in every browser.

Three practical points for web3 TLD owners:

  1. Nothing in the round changes what you own. The DNS root and the blockchain are separate registries. A delegation in one does not create, move or remove a record in the other.
  2. Check the November 17 list for your string. If a string you hold as a web3 TLD is also applied for in the ICANN round, the two will coexist in different systems: the DNS version will resolve in every browser without extra software, the web3 version in compatible software. Which one you reach depends on the resolver: a standard DNS resolver only knows the ICANN root, while Freename's DNS infrastructure, the Noto Protocol, first checks whether the requested name belongs to a blockchain namespace and, if it does, answers from its indexed blockchain database instead of the ICANN root. For identical names that exist in both DNS and blockchain registries, Freename's patented integration protocol indexes both sources into a unified resolution layer and lets organizations and service providers decide how those names are handled. If you own a trademark on that string, the legal rights objection window runs until March 16, 2027; our TLD trademark page explains how to protect a web3 TLD.
  3. The cost gap decides most cases. In August 2026 Unstoppable Domains said it would not pursue ICANN applications for its existing web3 extensions, among them .crypto, .nft and .wallet, pointing to the USD 227,000 fee per string and the compliance obligations, and opened a refund window for recent buyers.

Where Freename Stands

Freename is an ICANN-accredited registrar (IANA ID 4323) and a web3 registrar, so it sells both DNS domains and blockchain-based web3 TLDs and domains. In fall 2024 we announced our plan to take part in the 2026 round, naming .chain, .token and .metaverse among the strings of interest, and to represent third-party customers through WebUnited, our joint venture with the registry ShortDot. The ICANN process does not touch the blockchain records of the web3 TLDs sold on Freename.

FAQ

What is the ICANN 2026 new gTLD round?

It is the application round in which ICANN accepts proposals for new generic top-level domains to be added to the DNS root, the first since 2012. Applications were accepted from April 30 to August 12, 2026; 1,615 are active, and the final list of strings is published on November 17, 2026.

How much does it cost to apply for a new gTLD in 2026?

The ICANN evaluation fee is USD 227,000 per application, with a 75 to 85 percent discount for applicants admitted to the Applicant Support Program. Registry operations, legal work and ongoing ICANN obligations come on top of that fee.

Can I still apply for a new gTLD in 2026?

No. The application window closed on August 12, 2026, and ICANN has not announced a date for a round after this one. A web3 TLD can be bought today, and our guide on how to create your own top-level domain compares the two routes.

What happens on String Confirmation Day, November 17, 2026?

ICANN publishes the final list of applied-for strings and the updated contention sets, confirms the final number of applications, and opens the Community Input and Objections Period, which runs until March 16, 2027.

Does the ICANN round affect my web3 domain or TLD?

No. A web3 TLD is registered on a blockchain, not in the DNS root that ICANN coordinates, so the round neither grants nor removes it. If the same string is delegated as a gTLD, the two will coexist in separate systems.

Can you buy a gTLD?

Not from ICANN: a gTLD is applied for, evaluated and, if contested, auctioned, and ICANN then signs a registry agreement with the winner. What you can buy today is a web3 TLD, a one-time purchase with no renewals, or a web3 domain under an existing TLD.

Own a TLD Without Waiting for the Next Round

If what you want is your own extension, you do not need an ICANN round to get one. Search for a web3 top-level domain on Freename: buy it once, own it with no renewal fees, and register as many domains under it as you like. To understand how the two worlds differ, read What is ICANN and ICANN vs. Web3 Registrars.

Sources

Keep reading

Freename and Endless Domains Partner Up. A Step Forward for Web3

Freename and Endless Domains Partner Up. A Step Forward for Web3

Web3 domains came to the scene when the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) launched in 2017. At ...

Read the story
Web3 Domains Aren't Dead. They're Growing

Web3 Domains Aren't Dead. They're Growing

Some big players have stepped back. Others view it as nothing more than temporary hype. ...

Read the story
How to Buy Domain with Crypto (Quick Guide)

How to Buy Domain with Crypto (Quick Guide)

Just as you can use Bitcoin or crypto to buy things and services, you can also use ...

Read the story