C++26 Standard Fails ISO Approval Vote
Original: C++26 Disapproved
Why This Matters
A failed C++ DIS ballot could delay C++26 release and sets a contentious precedent for ISO governance.
On Oct 23, 2026, ISO National Bodies rejected the C++26 Draft International Standard—the first failed C++ DIS ballot in the language's history—over disputes about the Contracts feature.
For the first time since C++ standardization began in 1998, a Draft International Standard (DIS) ballot for C++ has failed. The vote, which closed after a twelve-week period, did not reach the required two-thirds majority approval from ISO National Bodies (NBs). The rejection is directly tied to the Contracts feature included in C++26: a significant number of NBs argued the feature is not ready for release.
Andreas Fertig, a committee member representing Germany, notes this appears to be only the second failed DIS for any ISO programming language standard—the previous case being ISO/IEC DIS 26926 (C++/CLI), whose project was subsequently halted entirely.
Contracts have a troubled history. The feature was nearly included in C++20, but was removed at the same 2019 Cologne meeting where it was initially accepted. A dedicated study group worked on it from roughly 2020 to 2024 before proposals advanced to the Evolution Working Group. Despite years of iteration, some NBs submitted comments at the DIS stage arguing against inclusion—a move Fertig describes as a departure from established committee norms, where NBs typically voted against a standard only if genuinely new information emerged. He disputes that recently submitted papers contain new arguments. What happens next under ISO rules remains unresolved and complicated.