WordPress Core, which was expected to have only one major release from now on, is undergoing a schedule change based on recent updates to the WordPress 6.9 development cycle. The WordPress 6.9 release post, which earlier indicated a 2026 timeline, now states that ‘WordPress 6.9 will be the final major release of 2025’.
The possibility of releasing WordPress 6.9 this year was hinted at by Matt Mullenweg during the fireside chat at WordCamp Europe 2025.
WordPress 6.9 Now Part of 2025 Release Cycle
As per the announcement made earlier this year by Mary Hubbard, WordPress 6.8 should’ve been the only major release of this year, “ Starting in 2025, WordPress will move to a single major release per year, with WordPress 6.8 “Cecil” marking the final major release for the calendar year. From there, the next major release will land in 2026, and we’ll continue on that annual cycle for the time being.”
During the fireside chat at WordCamp Europe 2025 on June 7, 2025, Mary Hubbard asked Matt, “ There was an anooucnement about returtning to WordPress core contributions….what does this mean in practical terms for the community, as well as does it make sense to release or have WordPress 6.9 or another release in 2026..”
To this, Matt replied, “ …yeah I think we can get a 6.9 out this year and I’m personally very excited there’s so much I want to release and there’s so much we can do… ”
With the help of the Wayback Machine, we can see that as of June 29, 2025, the development cycle for WordPress 6.9 mentioned, “WordPress 6.9 will be the first major release of 2026. New features will be considered if deemed reasonably ready.”
Now the updated page states it as, “ WordPress 6.9 will be the final major release of 2025. New features will be considered if deemed reasonably ready.”
The release cycle timeline has also been updated, as previously the year was marked as 2026.
Now it reflects the year to be 2025, which will make WordPress 6.9 the second major release of this year.
The release squad and further dates are yet to be determined, so keep an eye on the Make/Core blog for updates.