PHP 8.6 Preparation Tasks
- Elect managers
- Triage GitHub issues for PHP 8.6
- Triage GitHub pull requests
- Push appropriate RFC at appropriate time
Timetable
Based upon a target GA in late November. Individual releases may be added or removed to accommodate development progress.
- Tag on Tuesday, release on Thursday
- 5 months pre-release phase
| Date | Release |
|---|---|
| Jul 02 2026 | Alpha 1 |
| Jul 16 2026 | Alpha 2 |
| Jul 30 2026 | Alpha 3 |
| Aug 13 2026 | Feature freeze |
| Aug 13 2026 | Beta 1 |
| Aug 27 2026 | Beta 2 |
| Sep 10 2026 | Beta 3 |
| Sep 24 2026 | RC1 |
| Oct 08 2026 | RC2 |
| Oct 22 2026 | RC3 |
| Nov 05 2026 | RC4 |
| Nov 19 2026 | GA |
Release Managers
- Veteran: Daniel Scherzer
- Rookie: Matteo Beccati
- Rookie: Joe Ferguson
Volunteers
This list only contains individuals who have formally and publicly volunteered via the internals mailing list.
Veteran volunteer(s) listed in the order in which they formally volunteered:
Rookie candidates listed in the order in which they formally volunteered:
Voting
There are 7 candidates for two available seats. While it might not be likely that all preferences are necessary, you are encouraged to use all votes. If you vote for the same person twice, this will not help that person's chances; it will only throw away one of your votes and deprioritize the remaining ones, so please cast unique votes.
Voting using STV (Single Transferable Vote) started on 31 March 2026 18:00:00 UTC. Voting will be open until 15 April 2026 18:00:00 UTC. Tiebreaking will be at the discretion of the prior branch RMs.
1st Preference
Select your first preference for 8.6 Release Manager here.
If you wish to fully abstain from voting, please select “Abstain” here and skip the remaining voting widgets. To abstain from further preferences down the list, please cast your first X votes and simply skip the remaining widgets.“
2nd Preference
Select your second preference for 8.6 Release Manager here.
3rd Preference
Select your third preference for 8.6 Release Manager here.
4th Preference
Select your fourth preference for 8.6 Release Manager here.
5th Preference
Select your fifth preference for 8.6 Release Manager here.
6th Preference
Select your sixth preference for 8.6 Release Manager here.
7th Preference
Select your seventh preference for 8.6 Release Manager here.
