JERICHO, N.Y. – Thousands of fans gathered at the corner of Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island on July 4 to watch the 2026 Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Championship.
The annual contest, held at Nathan’s Famous flagship restaurant, delivered another unforgettable chapter in the legacy of one of America’s most iconic Fourth of July traditions.
Joey Chestnut claimed the coveted Mustard Yellow Belt by eating 66 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, topping a competitive field that included #2-ranked Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago (51); #3-ranked Geoffrey Esper of Oxford, Mass. (40½); #4-ranked James Webb of Sydney, Australia (41½); #8-ranked Max Stanford of London (42½); and #12-ranked Radim Dvoracek of Ostrava, Czech Republic (28). The win marked his 18th victory in the competition’s history.
Miki Sudo, the defending champion, won the women’s competition, devouring 38¾ hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes amid a field that included 2021 champion Michelle Lesco of Tucson (22); Domenica Dee of Seattle (21½); Tandra Childress of San Francisco (17); Katie Prettyman of Marysville, Wash. (11); and Larell Marie Mele of Long Pond, Pa. This is the 12th time she has claimed the Mustard Yellow Belt.
Sudo did not surpass her own record of 51 hot dogs, set in 2024.
Her other records include 16.5 pints of vanilla ice cream (2017); 8.5 pounds of kimchi (2013); 14 pounds of wild rice hotdish (2019); 21 5.6-oz. corn dogs (2022); 368 steamed fish balls (2023); 348 cheese slices (2023); 39.5 steamed pork buns (2023); 87 glazed donuts (2023).
Both Chestnut and Sudo were competitors in the Day-Lee Foods World Gyoza Eating Championship, which was held for many years during Nisei Week in Little Tokyo.
Pre-show festivities began at 10 a.m., featuring live performances from musical and dance acts. The women’s competition kicked off at 11 a.m., followed by the men’s contest at 12:30 p.m. In the spirit of tradition and community, Nathan’s Famous made its annual donation of 100,000 Nathan’s Famous hot dogs to the Food Bank for New York City.
“The contest was a celebration of community, competition and country, with a dramatic finish that will stand in the history of July 4,” said Phil McCann, vice president of marketing at Nathan’s Famous. “The Nathan’s Famous Coney Island flagship is the patriotic epicenter of the nation on July 4.”
“This was a cortisol-producing adrenaline rush unmatched in the history of organized sports,” said Major League Eating Chair George Shea. “The performances today reaffirmed my confidence in the future of the human species.”
Thousands made the pilgrimage to Surf and Stillwell avenues in Coney Island to watch the 2026 event in person. According to Major League Eating archives, the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Championship has taken place each July 4 since 1916 — the year Nathan Handwerker opened the legendary restaurant. MLE, the governing body of all stomach-centric sports, sanctioned the contest and ensured it was judged professionally with safety standards in place.