We Will Learn Who Applied for What on ICANN New gTLD Reveal Day Wednesday -  Experts Will Provide In-Depth Next Day Analysis in Free ICA Webinar Thursday 

Ever since the applications window to run new Top Levels Domains (TLDs) closed last month, domain industry aficionados have been eagerly awaiting Reveal Day when ICANN will publish the list of entities that applied and the strings they applied for. Wednesday, October 7, 2026 is the big day, with the release scheduled to come at 18:00 UTC (2:00PM U.S. Eastern Time). ICANN will also include replacement strings, a list of contention sets, and public portions of each application.

With over 1,600 applications received in this 2026 round of new TLDs (the first since the initial round in 2012), it will take some time for everyone to wade through the data and identify the most interesting story lines. It will be particularly interesting to see which strings draw the largest number of competitors. Many of those will spark multi-million dollar battles for the right to run them. 

If you are looking for some expert insight into what has been piling up behind the curtain, you can get it from the Internet Commerce Association's free Day After Webinar that will 

be presented at 12 Noon U.S. Eastern Daylight Time Thursday (October 8). Todd Ryan (ABC Corp) will moderate the panel discussion that will feature new gTLD experts Vivek Goyal (LdotR), Jeff Neuman (JJN Solutions) and Joe Alagna (it.com Domains).

Thursday also starts a new clock for applicants that applied for a second-choice or alternate "replacement" string when they submitted their gTLD application. Starting October 8, they will have two weeks to switch from their primary applied-for string to their replacement string if eligible to do so. More information on the Replacement Period is available here.

The next major date to be aware of is String Confirmation Day - November 17, 2026. 
Following the String Replacement Period, a final list of all the applied-for gTLD strings is published on String Confirmation Day, as well as an updated list of contention sets. String Confirmation Day also marks the start of the Community Input and Objections Period and the final 10 days during which applicants can withdraw their application to receive a 65% refund of the gTLD evaluation fee paid. 

There is a still a long way to go before we start seeing any of the new TLDs online. Most estimate the first ones will start arriving near the end of next year or early in 2028 with the roll out likely to take another couple of years to complete.

(Posted October 5, 2026)   

*****