Excitement mounts as US ‘world cup’ hot dog eating championship qualifier held in UK
- The event, hosted by Nathan’s Famous fast-food chain, will see contestants compete to qualify for the world championships held in New York since 1916
- Competitive eaters from the US, Japan and Australia will take part in the finals in a bid to knock current champ Indiana’s Joey Chestnut, from the top spot
The president of the Major League Eating group has said he is “very excited” that Britain is hosting a qualifying event for “our world cup,” the annual Fourth of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest, for the first time.
A dozen competitors, many from the UK, will be going “cheek to jowl” eating Nathan’s Famous hot dogs in the 10-minute competition on Saturday at Seal Bay Resort’s White Horse Complex in Selsey, West Sussex, on England’s south coast.
Major League Eating president Richard Shea, 54, said it was “high time we visit England to conduct a qualifier for our biggest event of the year.”
The event is hosted by Nathan’s Famous, a chain of fast-food restaurants specialising in hot dogs, and will see UK contestants compete to qualify for the world championship men’s and women’s contests that will take place in Coney Island, New York, on July 4, 2024.
The world championship contest could see UK competitors compete against a roster of top-ranked competitive eaters from countries around the world, including the United States, Japan, Australia and Brazil.
Among the UK hopefuls is Max Stanford, whom Shea said was an “eater of note based in London”, who has eaten 141 Oreos in five minutes, 23 McPlant burgers in less than an hour, and 50 cream eggs in 24 minutes, among other achievements.
