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Joey Chestnut Favored to Win 18th Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Title on July 4
Joey Chestnut enters the 2026 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest as the heavy favorite to capture an 18th Mustard Belt. The annual event returns to Coney Island on Saturday with separate men's and women's competitions.
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Joey Chestnut will defend his title at the 2026 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on Coney Island in New York on Saturday. The 17-time champion enters as the -2000 betting favorite in the men's division. Chestnut set the contest record by eating 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes in 2021. He has not approached that mark since, finishing with 70.5 in 2025 after a one-year absence.
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Betting markets list no other men's competitor shorter than +2200. A handicapper who has covered the event for SportsLine since 2005 recommends betting the Under on Chestnut's 72.5 hot dogs line at +130 odds. The same expert notes Chestnut's recent totals of 63 in 2022, 62 in 2023 and 70.5 last year as evidence he is unlikely to reach the posted number.
Sudo is listed at -1200 to win an 11th women's title.
She ate 33 hot dogs in 2025 and holds the women's record of 51 set in 2024.
The women's contest begins at 10:45 a.m.
ET and the men's contest starts at 12:30 p.m. ET. ABC and ESPN2 will carry the men's event while ESPN+ streams the women's competition.
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