The road to ICANN’s Next gTLD Round key dates and decision gates

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is steadily advancing toward the next round of new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs), an event long anticipated by stakeholders across the domain name ecosystem. The last major application round occurred in 2012, which brought over a thousand new gTLDs to market, dramatically expanding the namespace beyond traditional domains like .com, .org, and .net. Since then, ICANN has faced a complex and politically sensitive process to define the rules, frameworks, and timelines for what is informally known as the “next round.” The pathway to this new phase is marked by several critical milestones and decision gates, each serving as both a progress indicator and a potential bottleneck.

At the center of ICANN’s efforts is the policy development process initiated by the Generic Names Supporting Organization (GNSO). This culminated in the final report of the GNSO Subsequent Procedures (SubPro) Working Group, delivered in February 2021. The report provided hundreds of recommendations aimed at improving and refining the application process, operational efficiency, and stakeholder fairness. While the ICANN Board adopted most of these recommendations in March 2023, their implementation is contingent on further operational planning and community engagement. This created the basis for a detailed implementation phase, the progress of which is meticulously overseen through ICANN’s Operational Design Phase (ODP), and now, the Implementation Review Team (IRT) process.

A pivotal moment came in March 2023 when the ICANN Board formally directed the ICANN organization to begin implementation work for the next round, setting the stage for a multiyear process that would involve both technical and policy execution. One of the most important decision gates on this road was the development and publication of the New gTLD Program Next Round Implementation Plan, which outlines the schedule, dependencies, and resource requirements for moving forward. ICANN committed to launching the next application round in Q2 2026, with a projected Application Submission Start Date in April of that year, contingent on all planning and development stages being completed on time.

The key dates leading up to this target include the delivery of the Applicant Guidebook (AGB), currently under iterative drafting and community review. This document, which serves as the blueprint for applicants, is expected to be published in final form in May 2025, after multiple public comment periods and an exhaustive consultation process. Prior to the finalization of the AGB, draft versions will be released for public review, beginning as early as Q4 2024. These drafts must account for updates in areas such as applicant support for underserved regions, public interest commitments, mechanisms for name collisions, and the controversial topic of closed generics. Each of these issues represents a decision gate in itself, where lack of consensus could delay progress or lead to renewed policy debate.

Another significant milestone is the launch of the Applicant Support Program, which aims to offer financial and logistical assistance to applicants from developing economies. ICANN is expected to open this program for applications in early 2025, with awards and support decisions finalized by the end of that year. Successful rollout of this program is both a moral and operational imperative; it is designed to address past criticisms that the 2012 round favored well-funded applicants and did not sufficiently democratize access to gTLD ownership.

Parallel to the community-driven policy implementation is the development of the technical infrastructure required to support a new wave of applications. This includes enhancements to the TLD Application System (TAS), which must be secure, scalable, and transparent. ICANN is currently undergoing vendor procurement and system development cycles, with beta testing of the platform expected in the second half of 2025. Any technical setbacks here could serve as an operational decision gate, forcing delays to the proposed timeline.

The path to the next gTLD round also intersects with several geopolitical and legal considerations. The evolving regulatory landscape, particularly in jurisdictions such as the European Union, introduces additional complexity. Compliance with laws like the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other data residency and cybersecurity requirements will influence both the application process and the ongoing obligations of registry operators. ICANN’s Global Domains Division is tasked with integrating these considerations into the AGB and the associated contractual frameworks, adding yet another dimension to the policy implementation process.

As ICANN progresses through 2025, its community will face a series of increasingly concrete decision points. By the time the final AGB is published, the window for making major policy changes will have closed, and focus will shift toward applicant education, outreach, and operational readiness. If all goes according to plan, ICANN will open the application window in April 2026, with evaluations, objections, and contention resolution processes following closely. The first new gTLDs from this round would likely be delegated by late 2027 or early 2028.

The road to ICANN’s next gTLD round is as much about political navigation and institutional discipline as it is about technical readiness. Each milestone passed and each decision gate cleared represents the culmination of years of negotiation, community input, and strategic foresight. While the destination appears to be within sight, the journey remains sensitive to a wide array of influences—from public policy to technological uncertainty. The next chapter of the domain name system’s evolution is being written in real time, and its eventual outcome will shape the internet’s addressing architecture for decades to come.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is steadily advancing toward the next round of new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs), an event long anticipated by stakeholders across the domain name ecosystem. The last major application round occurred in 2012, which brought over a thousand new gTLDs to market, dramatically expanding the namespace beyond…