Among the 1,614 applications of the 2026 round, .matt is filed as an open TLD for a first name. It has no competitor and no replacement string.
What the filing says
The applicant is Knock Knock WHOIS There, LLC, a Delaware company. It describes itself as "the registry operator of .BLOG" and "the wholly-owned subsidiary of ICANN-accredited registrar, Automattic Inc." Q12, and declares Automattic Inc. as ultimate control Q108.
The string is defined as a "shortened version of the name Matthew" Q118, pronounced "mæt" Q120. The mission statement Q133 begins with a paragraph about publishing, whose first words are "We hold this truth at the center of our mission: content is valuable." It then turns to the name:
The mission of the .matt TLD is to provide a dedicated digital home for people named Matt.
For the millions of Matts worldwide, .matt offers a domain that belongs to them. The .matt extension serves individuals named Matt seeking straightforward, personal web presence. Registrants use .matt domains to build personal websites, establish online presence, create projects, or build whatever they choose online.
People named Matt deserve a domain of their own. The .matt TLD sustains relevance because Matts desire dedicated space built specifically for them.
It is filed as a standard, open TLD: not a brand Q179, no Code of Conduct exemption Q185, "No" to each of the six safeguard questions Q164–Q169, no voluntary commitment Q170 Q172.
What the filing does not say
The mission statement names no individual Matt: the stated registrants are "people named Matt", in the plural. Any reading that ties the string to one person is made from outside the filing, and is not a declaration of the applicant.
The portfolio around it
The same applicant files sixteen applications:
- three brand TLDs: .tumblr, .woo and .mesh;
- .wordpress, a standard application with a Code of Conduct exemption requested Q185;
- twelve open strings: .craft, .hire, .human, .jazz, .make, .matt, .pod, .pop, .robot, .soul, .story, .vibe.
Eleven of the sixteen are in an ICANN contention set. The five that are not are .matt, .jazz, .tumblr, .woo and .wordpress. On the contested ones the applicant faces up to eight others: .pop and .robot each have nine applicants.
Eleven applications carry a replacement string. On 7 October, seven of those replacements were already deactivated (.feed, .note, .real, .podcast, .gig, .hack, .hub) and four were still active (.freelance, .rap, .task, .php). .matt has none.
One opening paragraph, twelve times
The twelve open-string filings begin their mission statement with the same paragraph, the one quoted above about content and ownership, followed by a sentence that states the mission of the string in question. The three brand filings and .wordpress open differently. This is a measure on the published text of the sixteen filings, and nothing more.
Sources
- Published filing KKWT2621T-T75381 and the fifteen other filings of the same applicant, ICANN APS, snapshot of 8 October 2026.
- ICANN contention sets and Reveal Day export of 7 October 2026 for contention and replacement strings.