Ethereum Schedules Glamsterdam Upgrade for Hoodi Testnet Oct. 26

The Ethereum Foundation said on October 16, 2026, that the Glamsterdam network upgrade is scheduled to activate on the Hoodi testnet at epoch 132,352, slot 4,235,264 — October 26, 2026, at 17:42:48 UTC — following its earlier activation on Sepolia on October 6. At the same epoch, Hoodi's gas limit will be raised to 200 million, per the Foundation's announcement.

How Glamsterdam Fits Ethereum's L1 Scaling Roadmap

Glamsterdam is the network upgrade that follows Fusaka in Ethereum's sequence of client-coordinated hard forks. The Foundation's September 17, 2026, testnet announcement described the upgrade as advancing the layer-1 scaling roadmap through three core changes: enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS), block-level access lists, and adjustments to gas pricing intended to better reflect the real cost of execution and state growth.

That September post set the original testnet schedule, with Sepolia activation specified for epoch 353,024, slot 11,296,768 — October 6, 2026. The Foundation's October 16 Hoodi announcement confirms that the Sepolia activation proceeded as scheduled and lays out the next step in the rollout: Hoodi, Ethereum's newer, validator-set-controlled testnet, built specifically to let node operators and stakers rehearse upgrades before mainnet.

Testnets exist precisely so client teams, node operators, and infrastructure providers can catch coordination failures — missed client releases, misconfigured forks, consensus bugs — before they reach a network securing real value. Sepolia and Hoodi serve different roles in that pipeline: Sepolia is the earlier-stage proving ground, while Hoodi, with its smaller and more controllable validator set, is positioned as a closer rehearsal for mainnet conditions. Moving from one to the other without reported incident is a standard, expected step in Ethereum's fork-testing cadence, not itself a sign the upgrade is mainnet-ready.

What to Watch as Hoodi Activation Approaches

The Foundation's announcement does not specify a mainnet activation date for Glamsterdam; it addresses only the Sepolia and Hoodi testnet schedule. Client teams and infrastructure operators are the audience most directly affected by this announcement, since they are expected to update and test node software ahead of the October 26 Hoodi epoch.

For holders and builders who are not running infrastructure, the practical signal to track is whether Hoodi activates without incident at the stated epoch and slot. A clean Hoodi run would clear the way for the Foundation to set a mainnet date; a delay or rollback would extend the testing phase. CoinsCipher will track the Hoodi activation outcome and any mainnet scheduling announcement as Glamsterdam's testing phase continues.