1,169 applications declared a replacement string, a fallback in case their first choice is contested. The export ICANN published on 7 October already marks 727 of them "Deactivated", mostly because another applicant wanted the same word as its first choice. In contention, 287 applications out of 891 keep the option, and at most 87 sets out of 263 can come apart that way.
A fallback identical to another applicant's choice is barred
The Applicant Guidebook (version of 16 December 2025, section 5.1) forbids a replacement identical to another applicant's choice:
Due to the risk of creating new or adding to existing instances of contention, an applicant will not be allowed to use its replacement string if it is identical to the original applied-for string or replacement string of another applicant.
The ban applies "even if those other applicants decide not to use them". Applied to the 1,169 replacements without looking at ICANN's status, this rule matches that status in all 1,169 cases.
727 fallbacks deactivated, 287 options open
- 727 fallbacks deactivated out of 1,169. 571 are another applicant's primary string; 156 only another applicant's fallback. Example: .edge, .form and .source, each chosen as a fallback by five applicants, and each applied for as a first choice elsewhere.
- In contention, 287 options open for 891 applications. 817 had declared a fallback; 530 lost it.
- 87 sets out of 263 can, at most, be reduced to one applicant by replacements alone. The other 176 will not be resolved that way.
Link Freedom Group: 19 switches out of 42
Link Freedom Group sent its final list to Domain Name Wire: "I count 19 primary strings it abandoned in favor of replacement strings" (article). The 19 switches all concern fallbacks the export marks "Active". LFG had 42 applications in contention with an active fallback: it switched 19, and keeps its first choice on the other 23, including .api, .llm, .labs and .yes.
A reading
By Matthieu Credou.
The 1,169 figure says how many applicants planned a fallback, not how many have one. Fallbacks were chosen before anyone else's filings were published, and most landed on a word someone else wanted first. A fallback on a sought-after word protects nothing. What happens by 21 October happens on 287 applications, not 817.
To watch
- Until 21 October 2026 (23:59 UTC): replacement period, per ICANN's announcement of 29 September.
- On 17 November 2026, String Confirmation Day: final list of strings and updated contention sets. Then come the "final 10 days during which applicants can withdraw their application to receive a 65 percent refund of the gTLD evaluation fee paid", until 27 November. Withdrawals are the other way a set comes apart.
What this piece does not say
It does not say who will switch, or how many sets will survive: the 87 are a ceiling, not a forecast. A fallback can itself be placed in contention later, after string similarity evaluation (section 5.1). LFG's list is the one the company gave Domain Name Wire, not an ICANN publication.
Method: ICANN Reveal Day export of 7 October 2026 (1,614 applications, 1,169 "Replacement String" rows with their status) and the contention sets of the same day. The 1,169 figure has circulated notably since Simone Catania's CircleID article of 8 October, which counts 1,615 applications (see The phantom application).
Sources
- ICANN Reveal Day export and contention sets, 7 October 2026.
- ICANN, 2026 Round Applicant Guidebook, version of 16 December 2025 (section 5.1).
- ICANN, announcement of 29 September 2026 on the round's milestones.
- Andrew Allemann, Domain Name Wire, 8 October 2026; Simone Catania, CircleID, 8 October 2026.