ICANN has announced that Reveal Day for the New gTLD Program: 2026 Round will take place on 7 October 2026 at 20:00 CEST (18:00 UTC). On that date, ICANN will publish the applications proceeding through the programme, including the applied-for strings, applicant identities, public portions of applications, and relevant contention sets.
The announcement also confirms that String Confirmation Day will take place on 17 November 2026. Following the String Replacement Period, ICANN will publish the final list of applied-for gTLD strings and an updated list of contention sets. This date will also mark the opening of the Community Input and Objections Period.
ICANN has further indicated that the Prioritization Draw will now take place on a date to be confirmed in the first half of 2027, rather than in early December 2026 as previously anticipated. According to ICANN, this change does not affect the overall programme timeline, since applications and contention sets will not begin to be processed until the conclusion of the String Evaluation Stage, which is expected to last 180 days.
CORE is ready to support applicants
As both a new gTLD applicant and an ICANN-accredited Registry Service Provider (RSP), CORE closely follows the operational, technical, and strategic considerations facing applicants as the 2026 Round advances.
Reveal Day is an important milestone for applicants: it provides greater visibility into the application landscape, including potential contention sets, and allows applicants to begin preparing for the next stages of the programme. For applicants that have not yet designated an RSP, this is also a timely opportunity to assess their registry-services requirements and establish a delivery model that is robust, compliant, and aligned with their TLD’s objectives.
CORE would be pleased to meet with TLD applicants to discuss their plans and how CORE’s registry services can support them through the next stages of the New gTLD Program. Feel free to contact us at newTLDs@corenic.org.
For more information, please see ICANN’s announcement: ICANN Announces Date for Reveal Day and Other 2026 Round Milestones
