Most domains register in minutes, but a quarter of all extensions do not. This guide shows registration times across 1,187 extensions, the slow ones and what their registries check (.cn, .sa, .co.jp, .bg, .ie and more), the checks that come after registration, and how long a domain transfer takes.
New gTLD Applications 2026: The Full List, the Most Contested Strings and When You Can Register One
Written by Steven White ·
ICANN published the full list of the 2026 new gTLD round on 7 October 2026: 1,615 applications from 481 applicants. The published list covers 986 different strings, and 263 of them are contested by two or more applicants, which puts 891 applications (55%) in a contention set. The most contested string is .agent, with 13 applicants, including Google, OpenAI and Meta. None of these extensions can be registered yet: the applications now go through comments and objections (until 16 March 2027), evaluation and, where strings collide, community evaluation or an ICANN auction, and the earliest industry estimate for the first launches is the second quarter of 2028. If you want a new extension today, the ones launching now are on our new domain extensions page.
Figures from ICANN’s announcement of 7 October 2026 and from the application list and contention-set file on ICANN’s 2026 Round Application Publication and Statistics site, downloaded on 12 October 2026 (string, applicant and contention counts are our own count of those files). Strings and contention sets will change on 17 November 2026 (String Confirmation Day), and this page will be updated then. Registration prices change too, so this page does not list them.
The 2026 round in numbers
The 2026 round is the second time ICANN has opened applications for new generic top-level domains. The first, in 2012, received 1,930 applications and ended up adding 1,241 extensions to the internet (ICANN program statistics, August 2026). The 2026 window ran from 30 April to 12 August 2026.
| Figure | 2026 round | 2012 round |
|---|---|---|
| Applications submitted | 1,663 | 1,930 |
| Applications proceeding on Reveal Day | 1,615 | 1,930 |
| Applicants | 481 | — |
| Different strings in the published list | 986 | — |
| Strings with two or more applicants | 263 (891 applications) | — |
| Largest contention set | .agent, 13 applicants | .app, 13 applicants |
| Brand applications | 333 | — |
| Internationalized (non-Latin) strings | 21 | 116 |
| Self-identified geographic names | 15 | 66 |
| Community applications | 16 | — |
| Applications from Applicant Support Program applicants | 51 | — |
| Applications from North America / Europe / Asia-Pacific | 864 / 506 / 218 | 911 / 675 / 303 |
| Applications from Africa / Latin America and the Caribbean | 16 / 11 | 17 / 24 |
| Evaluation fee per application | US$227,000 (75% to 85% less with applicant support) | — |
Sources: ICANN announcements of 22 September and 7 October 2026, ICANN’s 2012 Reveal Day announcement and the APS files. The downloadable list has 1,614 rows rather than 1,615: one application (.wdo) is still under administrative review (CircleID, 7 October 2026). The 2012 figure for .app comes from CircleID (8 October 2026).
The most contested strings
When two or more applicants ask for the same string, ICANN places them in a contention set: only one of them can end up running the extension. These are the strings with the most applicants in ICANN’s Reveal Day contention file.
| String | Applicants | Who applied (as named by ICANN) |
|---|---|---|
| .agent | 13 | Charleston Road Registry (Google), OpenAI, Meta Registry Holdings, Radix, XYZ.COM, Intercap, the community applicant Open Agent Registry and 6 more |
| .bit | 11 | Link Freedom Group, Oinkadot, Radix, XYZ.COM, ShortDot, Aruba PEC and 5 more |
| .api | 10 | Charleston Road Registry (Google), Link Freedom Group, XYZ.COM, ShortDot and 6 more |
| .brand | 10 | Squarespace, Radix, XYZ.COM, Intercap, Link Freedom Group and 5 more |
| .hub | 10 | Squarespace, Hostinger, HUB Culture, Radix, XYZ.COM and 5 more |
| .pop | 9 | Link Freedom Group, XYZ.COM, ShortDot, Aruba PEC and 5 more |
| .robot | 9 | Link Freedom Group, Intercap, Zero Gravity Labs and 6 more |
| .max | 8 | Link Freedom Group, XYZ.COM, ShortDot, Intercap and 4 more |
| .official | 8 | Link Freedom Group, Radix, XYZ.COM, iRegistry and 4 more |
| .pod | 8 | Squarespace, Radix, XYZ.COM, Link Freedom Group and 4 more |
| .zen | 8 | Radix, XYZ.COM, ShortDot, Intercap and 4 more |
| .agi | 7 | OpenAI, Link Freedom Group, Radix, ShortDot and 3 more |
| .vibe | 7 | Link Freedom Group, Radix, Intercap and 4 more |
Seven more strings also have seven applicants each: .ask, .connect, .firm, .key, .lab, .mind and .therapy. Most contention sets are small: 114 of the 263 have exactly two applicants. Short words useful to developers and AI products (.agent, .api, .agi, .robot) are at the top, while big-tech brand applications such as .gemini, .openai or .claude have only one applicant each.
Who applied for the most strings
A handful of portfolio registries account for a large share of the round, while 343 of the 480 applicants in the downloadable list filed a single application.
| Applicant (as named by ICANN) | Applications | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Link Freedom Group | 158 | .llm, .agi, .quantum, .robot, .gram, .nft, .btc |
| XYZ.COM | 139 | .agent, .bit, .crypto, .hub, .factory |
| Registry Services, LLC | 77 | .agi, .bit, .force, .pod, .model |
| Intercap Registry | 71 | .agent, .robot, .crypto, .nft |
| Radix Technologies | 46 | .agent, .agi, .asi, .mcp, .quantum |
| ShortDot | 40 | .bit, .api, .agi, .ask |
| Charleston Road Registry (Google) | 39 | .gemini, .deepmind, .waymo, .agent, .api, .mcp |
| Oinkadot | 25 | .anime, .manga, .bit, .ghost, .moon |
| Meta Registry Holdings | 18 | .whatsapp, .instagram, .superintelligence, .agent |
| OpenAI | 15 | .openai, .chatgpt, .gpt, .agent, .agi, .mcp |
| Squarespace Registry | 15 | .brand, .hub, .lab, .pod, .gym |
Before Reveal Day, roughly a quarter of the strings were already public because applicants announced them (CircleID, August 2026). The list corrects some of those announcements. Link Freedom Group’s widely reported “316 strings” are 158 applications, each with a replacement string: 316 strings, but only 158 of them can end up as extensions. The State of Texas wrote to ICANN that it would object to any application for .texas, but no application for .texas appears in the published list.
30 applications worth knowing about
Most of the list is brands and niche terms. These are the applications most likely to matter to someone who registers domains, grouped by type. The complete list, with the public part of every application, is on ICANN’s Application Publication and Statistics site.
| Category | String | Applicant | Contested? |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI and tech | .agent | 13 applicants, including Google, OpenAI and Meta | Yes, 13 |
| AI and tech | .agi | OpenAI, Link Freedom Group and 5 more | Yes, 7 |
| AI and tech | .mcp | Charleston Road Registry (Google, filed as a community application), OpenAI and 3 more | Yes, 5 |
| AI and tech | .gpt | OpenAI (brand application), Link Freedom Group, Pirin Tablet | Yes, 3 |
| AI and tech | .model | OpenAI, Registry Services, Glass Emotion | Yes, 3 |
| AI and tech | .llm | Link Freedom Group, Hair Apparent | Yes, 2 |
| AI and tech | .superintelligence | Meta Registry Holdings | No |
| Brands | .openai / .chatgpt | OpenAI | No |
| Brands | .claude | Anthropic | No |
| Brands | .gemini | Charleston Road Registry (Google) | No |
| Brands | .copilot | Microsoft | No |
| Brands | .whatsapp / .instagram | Meta Registry Holdings | No |
| Brands | .cloudflare | Cloudflare | No |
| Brands | .force | Salesforce (brand application) and Registry Services | Yes, 2 |
| Brands | .olympic | International Olympic Committee | No |
| Cities and regions | .roma | Aruba PEC | No |
| Cities and regions | .vienna | domainworx Service & Management | No |
| Cities and regions | .budapest | Council of Hungarian Internet Providers | No |
| Cities and regions | .bali | PT Konek Bali Semesta | No |
| Cities and regions | .québec | PointQuébec | No |
| Non-Latin scripts | .株式会社 | XRegistry | No |
| Non-Latin scripts | .品牌 | Internet DotTrademark Organisation and KNET | Yes, 2 |
| Community | .anime | Toei Animation (community) and Oinkadot | Yes, 2 |
| Community | .manga | Kodansha (community) and Oinkadot | Yes, 2 |
| Community | .bitcoin | Wiz & Associates (community) and Bird Pepper | Yes, 2 |
| Community | .avocat | Ordre des Avocats Cour d’Appel | No |
| Other notable | .gram | Telegram and Link Freedom Group | Yes, 2 |
| Other notable | .factory | USA Made in America, Link Freedom Group, XYZ.COM, Paws Button | Yes, 4 |
| Other notable | .crypto | Radix, XYZ.COM, Intercap and 2 more | Yes, 5 |
| Other notable | .pki | VeriSign | No |
Two patterns stand out. Seven contested strings include a community applicant (.agent, .mcp, .anime, .manga, .bitcoin, .src and .aio), which matters because community applications can win a contention set without an auction. And 18 brand applications share their string with other applicants, such as OpenAI’s .gpt or Salesforce’s .force: a brand does not get priority just for being a brand.
What Reveal Day is and what ICANN published
Reveal Day is the day ICANN makes the applications of a new gTLD round public. Until then, only the applicants knew which strings had been requested, unless they chose to announce them. On 7 October 2026, ICANN published on its 2026 Round Application Publication and Statistics site:
- every applied-for string, plus any variant strings and replacement strings;
- the name of the entity behind each application;
- the public part of each application;
- the initial contention sets, meaning the groups of applications for identical strings, as a separate file.
ICANN calls itself “the only source for complete and verified 2026 Round application information”. Lists compiled before 7 October from applicants’ own announcements were partial by design. ICANN also warns that the “In Contention” label in its application download will not reflect contention until string evaluations are complete; until then, the separate contention file is the reference.
Key dates after Reveal Day
| Date (UTC) | Milestone | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 7 October 2026 | Reveal Day | Applicants, strings and initial contention sets are published. |
| 8 October 2026 (00:01) to 21 October 2026 (23:59) | Replacement Period | Applicants that listed a replacement string can switch to it. A replacement cannot create a new contention or make an existing one bigger. |
| 17 November 2026 | String Confirmation Day | Final list of strings and updated contention sets. The comment forum and the objection period open. |
| 27 November 2026, 23:59 | Last day for a 65% refund | Applicants that withdraw by this date get 65% of the evaluation fee back. |
| 17 November 2026 to 16 March 2027 | Community input and objections | Anyone can comment on an application; objections can be filed on four grounds. |
| 19 December 2026 to 4 January 2027 | ICANN office closure | No program activity. |
| First half of 2027 (date not set) | Prioritization Draw | Sets the order in which applications and contention sets are processed. |
| Second quarter of 2028 (estimate) | First launches | Industry estimate (101domain), not confirmed by ICANN. |
Sources: ICANN announcements of 29 September and 7 October 2026; 101domain for the 2028 estimate.
What a contention set is, and how it gets resolved
ICANN’s Applicant Guidebook defines string contention as one or more applied-for strings being “identical or a variant to another string applied for by a different applicant, or… similar visually, aurally, or in meaning”. Contention sets form in four ways:
- Identical strings. These are the 263 sets published on Reveal Day.
- Variants. For example, the same word in simplified and traditional Chinese.
- Singular and plural forms of the same word in the same language, once confirmed.
- Similar strings that ICANN’s String Similarity Evaluation finds likely to confuse users.
So the Reveal Day sets are a starting point: they can grow after String Confirmation Day, after the singular/plural and similarity reviews, and after objections are decided.
Only one application in a set can win. The 2026 rules allow two ways to decide:
- Community Priority Evaluation, open only to community applications, which need 12 of 16 points to prevail.
- An ICANN auction, when that evaluation does not settle it.
Private deals between applicants are not allowed: “private auctions or joint ventures, or any other arrangement designed to resolve contention privately, are strictly prohibited” (Applicant Guidebook, Module 5).
Can you register one of these extensions yet?
No. No registrar can sell, pre-register or reserve a domain in a 2026-round extension today, because none of them exists yet. Each application still has to pass objections, string and applicant evaluation, contention resolution, a contract with ICANN and technical testing before the extension is added to the internet. ICANN has not published a launch date. The best public estimate is that the first extensions will launch in the second quarter of 2028 (101domain, March 2026), and law firm Gilbert + Tobin expects evaluation and contracting for the whole round to run until around mid-2030.
When one of them does launch, it will follow the usual phases: a Sunrise period reserved for trademark holders, often a Landrush or early-access period, and then general availability, when anyone can register on a first-come, first-served basis.
Meanwhile, extensions applied for in the 2012 round are still launching. Google’s .eat, .fly and .here are in Sunrise until 9 November 2026 and open to everyone on 17 November 2026 (Google Registry). You can file a pre-registration now so the request is submitted when general availability opens. The current list is on our new domain extensions page, and all extensions you can register today are on the gTLD list.
How to follow an extension you care about
- Find it on ICANN’s publication site. Look up the string to see who applied and the public part of each application, and check the contention file to see whether it is contested.
- Check it again after 21 October and on 17 November 2026. After the Replacement Period, some applicants will have switched to their replacement string, and the contention sets are republished on String Confirmation Day.
- Watch the contention set. A string with several applicants will be decided by Community Priority Evaluation or by an ICANN auction, which comes after the Prioritization Draw in 2027.
- Wait for the registry’s launch plan. The winning registry announces Sunrise and general availability dates. That is when registrars, including us, list the extension on the new extensions page.
- Use what exists today. If your project cannot wait until 2028, search for the name in the extensions already available.
If an application matches your trademark
Most applications are for generic words and will never affect a trademark owner. If one does match your mark, the 2026 rules give you several options, and none of them has to be used before 17 November 2026:
- Comment on the application. From String Confirmation Day, anyone with an ICANN account can post a comment in the Application Comment Forum. You have to declare your affiliation and any relationship with applicants.
- File a Legal Rights Objection. “A rights holder” can object to a string that infringes its trademark. These objections are handled by the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center and can be filed between 17 November 2026 and 16 March 2027. The other three grounds are string confusion (also WIPO), limited public interest and community (both handled by the International Chamber of Commerce).
- Prepare for Sunrise. When the extension launches, its Sunrise period lets trademark holders register their name before the public. To take part you need a trademark recorded in the Trademark Clearinghouse. If you have a trademark but not the validation code, contact us from our Sunrise registration page.
All three depend on having a registered trademark. If your brand is not registered yet, you can file it through Protect.tm. Registering a trademark now is useful for Sunrise in any future extension, not only this round.
Frequently asked questions
How many applications are in the 2026 new gTLD round?
1,615. ICANN received 1,663 applications by 12 August 2026; 1,615 were proceeding on Reveal Day (7 October 2026), from 481 applicants, and the published list covers 986 different strings.
Which new gTLD has the most applicants?
.agent, with 13 applicants, including Charleston Road Registry (Google), OpenAI, Meta Registry Holdings and a community applicant, Open Agent Registry. It ties the 2012 record of .app, which also had 13. Because one applicant filed as a community, .agent can be decided by Community Priority Evaluation before any ICANN auction.
How many 2026 gTLD applications are in contention?
891 applications, or 55% of the round, share their string with at least one other applicant. They form 263 contention sets, from .agent (13 applicants) down to 114 sets of two (ICANN contention file, 7 October 2026).
When will the new 2026 extensions be available to register?
Not before 2028, by current estimates. ICANN has not set a launch date. Objections run until 16 March 2027, the Prioritization Draw is planned for the first half of 2027, and 101domain expects the first launches in the second quarter of 2028.
Can I pre-register a 2026-round extension now?
No. A pre-registration only makes sense once a registry has announced its launch dates. Until then there is nothing to reserve. You can pre-register extensions that are launching now on the pre-registration page.
What happens if two companies apply for the same extension?
Both go into a contention set and only one can win. Community applications can win through Community Priority Evaluation; otherwise ICANN holds an auction. Private auctions and settlements between applicants are prohibited in the 2026 round.
The 2026 extensions are at least a year and a half away. If you need a name now, search for it across every available extension, or see what is launching this season on our new domain extensions page.
