Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo go into the next Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest as champions. Chestnut won the men’s title on July 4, 2026, with 66 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, and Sudo won the women’s with 38 3/4, both by Major League Eating’s official results.
The next contest is at Coney Island on July 4, 2027, the date Major League Eating gives for the seats its qualifiers hand out. No price on it was posted where we looked: Polymarket had no open Nathan’s market when we searched at 16:23 UTC on November 1, 2026, and no sportsbook board was read for this page.
The last contest: July 4, 2026
Chestnut finished 15 ahead of Patrick Bertoletti, the No. 2-ranked eater, and Sudo finished 16 3/4 ahead of Michelle Lesco, the 2021 champion. The contest was held at Nathan’s flagship restaurant on Surf and Stillwell avenues, with a $40,000 purse.
| Place | Men | Hot dogs and buns | Women | Hot dogs and buns |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joey Chestnut | 66 | Miki Sudo | 38 3/4 |
| 2 | Patrick Bertoletti | 51 | Michelle Lesco | 22 |
| 3 | James Webb | 47 1/2 | Domenica Dee | 21 1/2 |
| 4 | Nicholas Wehry | 45 | Tandra Childress | 17 |
| 5 | Max Stanford | 42 1/2 | Semora Kludy | 16 3/4 |
It was Chestnut’s 18th win at the contest and Sudo’s 12th Mustard Yellow Belt, by MLE’s count in its release of July 4, 2026.
The records, and what they mean for totals
Chestnut’s men’s record is 76 hot dogs and buns, set on July 4, 2021. Sudo’s women’s record is 51, set on July 4, 2024. The winning totals from 2021 on, for the years MLE’s contest pages give them:
| Year | Men’s winner | Total | Women’s winner | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Joey Chestnut | 66 | Miki Sudo | 38 3/4 |
| 2025 | Joey Chestnut | 70 1/2 | Miki Sudo | 33 |
| 2024 | Patrick Bertoletti | 58 | Miki Sudo | 51 |
| 2023 | Joey Chestnut | 62 | Miki Sudo | 39 1/2 |
| 2021 | Joey Chestnut | 76 | Michelle Lesco | 30 3/4 |
In those five years the men’s winner reached 70 once after the record, with Chestnut’s 70 1/2 in 2025, and the women’s winner passed 40 once, with Sudo’s record 51. A record prop needs a champion to beat their own best, and in these five years that happened twice: Chestnut’s 76 in 2021 and Sudo’s 51 in 2024. The 2026 totals of 66 and 38 3/4 sit 10 and 12 1/4 below the records.
Who wins the next one
Chestnut’s challengers are named on the 2026 results: Bertoletti at 51 and James Webb, the No. 4-ranked eater, at 47 1/2. Bertoletti is the last man other than Chestnut to win, with 58 in 2024. MLE’s contest list also names Matthew Stonie, with 62 in 2015, and Takeru Kobayashi, in 2005, among the men’s winners.
Sudo won in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. Among the years MLE’s pages give, the last woman other than her to win is Lesco, with 30 3/4 in 2021, and Lesco was second to Sudo in July with 22.
The first seats for 2027 are taken. Scott Watkins and Elizabeth Salgado won the qualifier in Las Vegas on July 5, 2026, with 44 and 6 1/2, according to MLE.
Hot dog contest betting
Polymarket ran markets on the 2026 contest, including the men’s and women’s winners and how many hot dogs Chestnut would eat, and all of them were closed when we searched on November 1. Prices for 2027, when they appear, will be short on the champions. At -500, a price implies 500 / 600, or 83.3%, and a bet at that price is worth it only if you rate the champion’s chance higher still.
Novelty markets are small, limits are low and not every book lists them. Our sportsbook reviews show which books carry specials, and our betting guides cover bankroll and pricing for markets like this one.