NewgTLDProgram.com Blogs

A DotBRAND top-level domain (often written as “.brand” or “.brandname”) is the highest-possible ownership layer a company can have on the public internet naming system.

In December 2025, ICANN published a milestone update titled “A Year of Progress on the Path to Opening the 2026 Round of New gTLDs”, authored by Kurtis Lindqvist. The blog serves not merely as a year-end reflection, but as a confirmation that the next New gTLD application round has moved decisively from planning into execution. “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.”

ICANN’s New gTLD Program: Next Round is projected to open the new gTLD application submission period in April 2026 for 12–15 weeks. This is not “buying a domain name”; it is applying to operate a top-level domain registry—internet infrastructure with contractual, technical, financial, and compliance obligations.

The Applicant Support Program (ASP) application window has officially closed, concluding a key preparatory phase ahead of ICANN’s 2026 New gTLD round. Final statistics show a sharp acceleration in application submissions during the last month of the window, following a prolonged period of relatively low activity.

The Internet’s architecture might seem static — with familiar endings like .com, .org, and .net dominating every address you type. But beneath that surface lies an evolving landscape of internet identity, governance, and digital opportunity. And on April 30, 2026, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is kicking off a transformative moment: the next round of the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program.

For a decade, the gateway to the internet's top layer—the TLD (Top-Level Domain)—has been closed. In 2012, ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) opened the floodgates, resulting in over 1,200 new TLDs. Now, the next application window is imminent, and this time, the process is far more sophisticated, demanding, and strategic.

For more than a decade, the ICANN community has treated the “next round” of new gTLDs as a long-running project plan. Now, with the 2026 round finally approaching, ICANN’s public narrative is confident: the Applicant Guidebook has been adopted, the programs are “on track”, and the application window is expected to open in April 2026.

Every few weeks, I meet enthusiastic founders and organisations who tell me they want to apply for a new top-level domain.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is steadily moving forward with the next round of its New gTLD Program — a once-in-a-decade chance for businesses, communities, and innovators to secure their own top-level domains (TLDs).

A New Regulatory Moment for Digital Identity When the ICANN Board adopted the Next Round Applicant Guidebook, it marked a decisive turning point in the governance of the Internet’s naming system. The ICANN New gTLD Program 2026 round should not be interpreted as a routine continuation of the 2012 expansion but as the formalization of a significantly more mature regulatory framework. Over the past twelve years, ICANN has accumulated extensive evidence about the technical, ope