New gTLD Program: 2026 Round Resources
A list of consolidated resources organized by topic areas including programmatic information for the 2026 Round, Applicant Support Program, Registry Service Provider Evaluation Program, TLD Application Management System (TAMS), and stages of the applicant journey. Additional topics and resources are listed alphabetically at the end.
A New gTLD Program: 2026 Round Readiness Pathway is available to guide applicants and community members through four learning phases to help prepare for the opening of the 2026 Round. The learning curriculum begins with ensuring a baseline understanding of ICANN and the Domain Name System, provides an overview and in-depth discovery of the stages of the applicant journey, and offers tools for using TAMS.
| Topic | Definition | Resource Links |
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| PROGRAM OVERVIEWS | ||
| New gTLD Program: 2026 Round General Information | Introduction to generic top-level domains (gTLDs) and the opportunity to apply for one in the 2026 Round. | |
| Applicant Support Program (ASP) | ASP makes applying for a new gTLD more accessible by providing financial and non-financial support to qualified applicants. | |
| Registry Service Provider (RSP) Evaluation Program | The RSP Evaluation Program is intended to improve efficiency of gTLD evaluation, ensure RSPs have proper technical qualifications for running a gTLD back-end, and enable gTLD Applicants to use RSPs that have been pre-evaluated. All applicants are encouraged to name an RSP as part of the application process prior to Application Evaluation. |
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| TLD Application Management System (TAMS) | The online system used by applicants, ICANN, and evaluation panels to submit and manage new gTLD applications; monitor application progress; track payment information; communicate about specific applications; provide clarifications or request changes to an application; and receive critical notifications related to applications. |
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| THE APPLICANT JOURNEY | ||
| The Applicant Journey | Overview of the various stages and sequence of the application process. |
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| Pre-Submission | Applicant assembles documentation and plans required to respond to application questions including:
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| Application Submission | Applicant submits responses to organization, financial and application questions and pays gTLD evaluation fee. |
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| Pre-Evaluation | ICANN publishes public application information on Reveal Day, and at that point opens the String Replacement Period for eligible applicants. On String Confirmation Day, ICANN publishes the final list of all applied-for strings. Finally, the Prioritization Draw establishes the order in which applications will be processed. |
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| Community Input, Objections, and Appeals | General public and specific groups with standing provide feedback about specific applications through several vehicles including: Application Comments, GAC Member Early Warnings, GAC Consensus Advice, Singular/Plural Notifications, and Objections. |
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| String Evaluation | ICANN evaluates the applied-for string and their allocatable variant strings to ensure they are technically sound, safe, and compliant with policy. Evaluation of each applied-for string includes string similarity, stability, safeguards, geographic rules, and name collision risk. |
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| Contention Set Resolution | ICANN facilitates resolution of contention between applications for strings that are identical or a variant of another applied-for string, or are similar visually, aurally, or in meaning. Learn about how contention sets are formed, types of contention, and paths to resolution. |
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| Applicant Evaluation | ICANN evaluates applicant information from an operational and financial standpoint. All applicants undergo a background screening and are evaluated on financial and operational capacity. Evaluators may submit Clarifying Questions to an applicant during the evaluation process to help it understand or verify information. |
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| Application Evaluation | ICANN evaluates application information from an operational and financial standpoint. All applications will be evaluated on RSP selection, other evaluations will occur based on the application type. Evaluators may submit Clarifying Questions to an applicant during the evaluation process to help it understand or verify information. |
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| Contracting | Successful applicants sign a Registry Agreement. The 2026 Base gTLD Registry Agreement (2026 Base RA), outlines the rights and obligations of new gTLD registry operators. It serves as the form of contractual document between successful applicants in the New gTLD Program: 2026 Round and ICANN. |
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| Onboarding and Delegation | New contracted parties complete onboarding to ICANN systems and processes and technical testing before the gTLD is operational. | See the ICANN Contracted Parties Homepage for current information, new information for 2026 Round onboarding will be available at a later date. |
| ADDITIONAL TOPICS AND RESOURCES (alphabetical) | ||
| DNS Abuse and the 2026 Round |
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| Trademark Protections | ||