08/27/2026
๐ฅ๐ FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DONโT KNOWโฆ WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THIS TIME?! ๐๐ฅ
We are only DAYS away from one of the BIGGEST League of Fire showdowns of the entire year! ๐ถ๏ธ๐
On Saturday, 29 August, League of Fire returns to the iconic Fiera Mondiale del Peperoncino in Rieti, Italy, for our fifth consecutive year - and once again we are bringing some of the finest competitive chilli pepper eaters on the planet with us!
๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๏ธ๐ฅ THE 3RD LEAGUE OF FIRE INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE BELT MATCH! ๐ฅ๐ถ๏ธ๐ฎ๐น
Often described as the โFIFA of competitive chilli pepper eatingโ, League of Fire has spent the past seven years building this extraordinary extreme sport across the world. We now have sanctioned championships spanning Europe, North America, Oceania and Africa, official world rankings and a global championship structure.
And if FIFA describes the sporting side of what we do, people have also compared the spectacle to WWE - because this isn't simply about eating ridiculously hot peppers. It's about personalities, rivalries, champions, national pride, performance, endurance and putting on one hell of a SHOW! ๐ฅ๐ค๐
And Rieti is one of our biggest stages.
๐๐ THE 2026 INTERCONTINENTAL BATTLE LINE-UP ๐๐
๐ฎ๐น GIANCARLO โJACK PEPPERโ GASPAROTTO โ ITALY
๐ Reigning Intercontinental Champion
๐บ๐ธ DEAN LEVERETT โ USA
๐ Americas Champion โ Blaze for the Brave
๐ฆ๐บ GORAN RADEKA โ AUSTRALIA
๐ Oceania Champion โ NZ Hot Sauce Festival
๐ง๐ฌ NIKOLAY FILIPOV โ BULGARIA
๐ Sofia Champion โ Sofia Chilli Festival
๐บ๐ธ JEREMIAH BEBOUT โ USA
๐ Terre Haute Champion โ Wabash Valley Pepper Fest
๐บ๐ธ TOM CORNWELL โ USA
๐ Boston Champion โ Boston Hot Sauce Festival
๐บ๐ธ CHARLES BRENNAN โ USA
๐ Gettysburg Champion โ Blaze for the Brave
๐ธ๐ฎ ANDREJ ZVER โ SLOVENIA
๐ฅ Slovenia's Chilli King & 2025 Slovenia Belt Match Runner-Up
๐ฉ๐ช GEE DEMIRAY โ GERMANY
๐ Wildcard
๐ฆ๐บ MARK SUPPLE โ AUSTRALIA
๐ Wildcard
Different nations. Different champions. Different stories.
ONE TABLE. ONE BELT. ONE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION. ๐๐๐ฅ
And standing in their way is Italy's own Giancarlo โJack Pepperโ Gasparotto, defending his Intercontinental crown on home soil. ๐ฎ๐น
These competitors are travelling thousands upon thousands of miles to Rieti for the opportunity to take one of League of Fire's most prestigious championship belts home with them.
This is going to be WAR. ๐๐ถ๏ธ๐ฅ
๐ค And guiding you through every painful pepper, every dramatic moment and every elimination will be our hosts Arturo โMr. Spicyโ Rencricca, League of Fire European Ambassador, alongside the UK Chilli Queen, presenting in English for the huge international audience watching. ๐๐ค๐ฅ
But a battle like this needs WEAPONS... ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ
And we are incredibly proud to reveal the fantastic people helping us provide them!
๐ฅ๐ถ๏ธ OFFICIAL HOT SAUCE SPONSOR - El Perro Picante! ๐ถ๏ธ๐ฅ
Our champions will be tested with the brutally named:
๐ฏโ ๏ธ๐ถ๏ธ HONEY, I AM THE REAPER! ๐ถ๏ธโ ๏ธ๐ฏ
Don't let the Honey part fool you. ๐
https://elperropicante.com/shop-now/ols/products/honey-im-the-reaper-award-winning-fermented-hot-sauce-
A huge thank you to El Perro Picante for supporting League of Fire and putting their sauce in front of some of the toughest chilli eaters on Earth!
And of course, a pepper-eating championship is nothing without some truly evil peppers...
๐ถ๏ธ๐ฅ PEPPER SPONSORS - SURIANO & SOCIETร AGRICOLA VALLE LAO ๐ฅ๐ถ๏ธ
Giancarlo Suriano
Societร Cooperativa Agricola VALLE LAO
Huge appreciation to our growers for supplying the ammunition that will help decide who walks away as the 2026 INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPION!
The competitors are coming.
The peppers are coming.
The sauce is coming.
The Belt is waiting. ๐
RIETIโฆ ARE YOU READY?! ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๏ธ๐ฅ๐๐
Thank you to our festival partners who made it possible for these champions to achieve glory on their stage.
Blaze for the Brave
Pittsburgh's Rivers of Fire
Wabash Valley Pepper Fest & Hot Sauce Expo
Sofia Chilli Fest
ฤili Frik
Boston Hot Sauce Festival
NZ Chilli Eating Champs
