As the year draws to a close, I'd like to recognize the considerable progress ICANN staff and community members have made in implementing the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: 2026 Round. We have come a long way in the last 12 months, and I am incredibly proud of the collaborative work that's gone into these accomplishments.
First and foremost, the 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook (AGB) was published (PDF, html) on 16 December 2025. The Board's adoption of the AGB at ICANN84 and its publication were key to being able to open the application window in April 2026, as stipulated by the community, and we now have a commitment to open the round on 30 April 2026.
In the 2026 Round, we hope to see applications from new sectors, regions, and communities, especially those that have historically been underrepresented in the Domain Name System. This has been a long-term goal for us, and to achieve it, we intensified our focus on communication and engagement in underserved regions and among diverse audiences beyond the ICANN community. This included significant efforts to raise awareness around opportunities presented by the Applicant Support Program (ASP).
The ASP application submission period closed on 19 December with 75 applications from all five ICANN regions across 27 countries/territories. This is a step-level increase from the 2012 round, when the ASP received a total of three applications. All told, ICANN received 10 applications from Africa, 38 from the Asia Pacific region, and 1 from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as 6 from Europe and 20 from North America.
If you're planning to submit an application for a new gTLD, there are new resources available to help you prepare. These include FAQs and topic overviews that correspond with topics in the AGB, aimed at helping you anticipate and understand the various issues you may encounter in the application process. ICANN is planning to host two webinars in January to delve more deeply into the application procedure and evaluation processes. ICANN leaders also will participate in numerous sessions at ICANN85 in Mumbai – another great chance to learn more about the program and what you can do to prepare to apply.
In some ways, the real work still lies ahead of us, as we move from "standing up" the program to actually running it, processing applications, and ultimately, onboarding new gTLD registries. The TLD Application Management System will continue to be put through the paces, including end-to-end internal testing to assess and ensure functionality, security, and stability. The organization continues to focus on putting the required resources into place to administer the program, including training and onboarding staff and vendors. I have every confidence that together, we will accomplish all of this and make the program a true success.
To find out how you can participate, visit the New gTLD Program website.
