It isn’t July Fourth without hot dogs, but to be more specific, it isn’t July Fourth without the traditional Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest.

After missing last year’s contest, 16-time champ Joey Chestnut is back in the field this year. Last year, Chestnut was handed a ban following a dispute due to his conflicting sponsorship with Impossible Foods. While Chestnut still works with Impossible Foods, a deal for Chestnut to return to Nathan’s was struck in June 2025, paving the way for the record-holder to defend his record again.

RELATED: Joey Chestnut gives behind-the-scenes look at ‘hungry’ prep for Nathan’s return

Last year’s champ Patrick Bertoletti, who earned the belt after eating 58 hot dogs in 10 minutes, is also returning to this year’s contest.

Miki Sudo, who set the world record in the 2024 contest with 51 hot dogs, will return to the women’s field this year, to defend her unbeaten streak.

The Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest is today, July 4, near the original Nathan’s store in Coney Island.

The women’s contest begins at 10:45 a.m. ET, while the men’s contest kicks off at 12 p.m. ET.

If you don’t have cable, you’ll need a live TV streaming service to stream Gold Cup matches for free. One option we love is DIRECTV, which comes with five days free and starts at $59.99/month, with plenty of subscription options that include the ESPN family of networks.

The women’s contest will air on ESPN3, before moving over to ESPN2 for the men’s contest.

You can also take advantage of free trials of fuboTV (seven days) and Hulu + Live TV (three days).

Top competitors from around the globe, including champions Chestnut and Sudo, will compete in this year’s contest.

A prize pool of roughly $40,000 is split between the men’s and women’s event. The winner of each portion of the event receives $10,000. Second place gets $5,000 and third place receives $2,500.

Though the rules aren’t overly complicated, there are a few that the competitors must follow.

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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Writer/Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping and New York Post’s streaming property, Decider. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on every streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. Prior to joining Decider and The New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews