ICANN’s Applicant Support Program Window Closes: What the Final Numbers Reveal About the 2026 New gTLD Round

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.

A comparison of ICANN-published data as of 21 November 2025 and 23 December 2025 highlights a pronounced last-minute rush, with application volumes increasing rapidly while early-stage participation metrics remained unchanged.

Submissions Jump From 19 to 72 in Four Weeks

As of 21 November, ICANN reported that 19 ASP applications had been formally submitted for evaluation. At that time, 52 applicants had started the application process and 102 applicants had submitted organisational information, including 18 applications later classified as inactive due to more than 90 days of inactivity.

By 23 December, the number of submitted ASP applications had risen to 72, representing an increase of nearly 280 percent in just over one month. Notably, the number of applicants who had started the process remained unchanged at 52, indicating that the increase in submissions came from existing applicants completing their applications rather than from new entrants entering the pipeline.

During the same period, the number of applications with organisational information submitted declined from 102 to 49, reflecting ICANN’s reclassification of inactive applications as part of its reporting methodology.

Evaluation and Eligibility Metrics Remain Stable

Despite the surge in submissions, evaluation outcomes showed no material change between the two reporting dates. In both November and December:

• 3 applications had completed evaluation

• 2 applications were fully approved

• 1 application was conditionally approved

• 0 applications were deemed not eligible for support

No applications failed business due diligence, financial need, financial viability, public responsibility, or eligible entity checks. No applications entered extended evaluation.

Withdrawals declined marginally from 2 to 1, while no applications were terminated during the period.

Asia-Pacific Accounts for Half of December Submissions

Regional data shows that the late surge was unevenly distributed. The Asia / Australia / Pacific region recorded the largest increase in submitted applications, rising from 12 submissions on 21 November to 36 submissions by 23 December. This made the region the single largest contributor to submitted ASP applications at the close of the window.

Other regions also recorded increases:

• Africa: 1 → 10 submitted applications

• North America: 5 → 20 submitted applications

• Europe: 1 → 5 submitted applications

• Latin America / Caribbean: 0 → 1 submitted application

Across all regions, the number of applications that had started the process remained static, reinforcing the concentration of activity among applicants already in the system.

Applicant Profiles Shift Toward Small and Nonprofit Entities

Eligible entity data indicates a significant rise in applications from nonprofit organisations and micro or small businesses from less-developed economies during the final month.

Between November and December:

• Nonprofit applications increased from 9 to 33

• Micro or small businesses from less-developed economies increased from 6 to 28

• Indigenous or tribal organisations accounted for 2 submitted applications by December

As applicants are permitted to select multiple eligible entity categories, these totals exceed the number of unique applications.

Window Closes With High Volume, Limited Evaluations : ICANN Applicant Support Program 2026

At the close of the ASP window, ICANN recorded:

• 72 total submitted applications

• 3 evaluations completed

• 3 approvals or conditional approvals

• No negative eligibility determination

ICANN has clarified that ICANN Applicant Support Program 2026 selections will be made strictly on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) basis, reinforcing the importance of early and complete submission rather than late-stage volume. While the program was originally structured to accommodate up to 40 supported applicants, ICANN has indicated there is limited flexibility to extend this to approximately 45 slots where there is clear evidence of genuine financial need and strong applicant merit. This built-in elasticity is intended to ensure that deserving applicants are not excluded purely due to marginal capacity constraints. Importantly, ICANN has also committed to publishing the final list of ASP-supported applicants before the New gTLD application window opens on 30 April 2026, providing critical certainty to applicants ahead of what is expected to be a tightly sequenced and resource-intensive application period.

The data shows that the majority of submissions entered the evaluation queue in the final weeks of the application window, while evaluation throughput remained unchanged.

All statistics referenced are based on ICANN’s official Applicant Support Program data snapshots published on 21 November 2025 and 23 December 2025.