'We're in the C-Suite' - inside the lives of paid World Cup watchers

Fox Sports Cube

Austin Franklin and Kevin Akoto were selected to watch every single World Cup match from a glass cube in New York City. It's not as easy as you might think.

Austin Franklin and Kevin Akoto started with one shot of espresso each.

Now they're at four.

It's part of the routine these days for the duo who have one of the unlikeliest, but perhaps most desirable, jobs. Franklin and Akoto make the trek every day from a nearby hotel, through the masses in Times Square and into their temporary home for the day. It's a glass box with perfect vantage points on three of its four sides. And every day during this World Cup, the duo sit back, relax and watch football.

Oh, and it comes with a $50,000 payout.

"We're in the C-Suite," Franklin joked. "It's probably the easiest job. But it's important nonetheless."

Akoto went one step further:

"I'm putting this on my resume," he quipped.

Thousands of fans applied for the job, as you might expect. The basics look pretty good. Akoto and Franklin are doing what they would do anyway: watch football. Except this time, there are people watching with them and watching them, too.

"We try to engage as much as possible," Akoto said.

World Cup watchers

'People from all over the world'

First, the basics. Yes, these guys are expected to do what the title "Chief World Cup Watcher" suggests.

There are 104 World Cup matches this summer. Franklin and Akoto are expected to watch every single one, braving time zones, the fixture list and, of course, literal public scrutiny. They will commute in and out of the cube for 39 days. But FOX, which sponsored and set up the installation, want far more than two lazy football fans.

The two are expected to react, hype up whatever supporters gather in Times Square and make the viewing experience feel more immersive. This is as much about performance as it is about personal entertainment.

So far, they've embraced it and enjoyed every second.

"There have been people from all over the world who have flocked to Times Square, and I've met people from Mexico, Scotland, Brazil, France and every corner of the earth, and everybody's just so excited to meet," Franklin said. "And to feel the love in the air, you know, and share hugs and share stories and chit-chat."

'Ability to bring fans together'

This is nothing new for the duo. Franklin is a content creator from Philadelphia who, at the time of writing, has 20,000 followers on Instagram and more than 200,000 on TikTok. Akoto, who hails from Florida and quit his job, isn't far behind, with nearly 168,000 followers on TikTok alone.

They were picked for their "passion for the game, content creation skills and ability to bring fans together around the world's biggest sporting event."

Scan their social media feeds, and they have already delivered on that promise. Franklin hung the Norwegian flag over a statue in Times Square, much to the delight of fans Monday night.

He amassed 1.6 million views, and counting, on a video showing a yoga class in Times Square while the Viking Army banged drums in the background. If this has been the World Cup of fandom, and a good advertisement for soccer in the United States, then the duo are the perfect mascots.

World Cup cube

Comfy couches, free snacks - but no bathrooms

Yet it isn't so simple. The first thing that needs clarifying is that they do not live in the box.

Such is the chaos of Times Square that they probably would not be able to sleep there anyway. FOX has put them up at a nearby hotel in a location they were told not to disclose. It is up to them, though, to figure out many of the specifics.

"If we were trying to sleep in this cube, you would see huge bags under our eyes, because I don't think we'd be getting any sleep living in the middle of Times Square," Franklin said. "Although the digs here are pretty good."

And about those digs. The cube is basically a very large living room, measuring 32 by 16 feet. There are two 85-inch TV screens, complete with soundbars and subwoofers. The sofas recline, and there is a foosball table to help pass the time between matches. Snacks and drinks are provided.

But if they want full meals, they have to bring their own food or rely on the kindness of others to get it for them. There also isn't a bathroom, which leads to plenty of frantic sprints to nearby locations, even at halftime, especially after the coffee has kicked in.

"We've got that unlocked," Franklin admitted with a laugh.

Fox Sports Cube 3

'My voice is already gone'

It's also not all that easy to get jazzed up for every match. The heavyweight clashes between massive teams, with fans going crazy? Well, the energy is there for those. But the matches that kick off late into the night, when Times Square is not as lively? They are trickier.

"I'm just trying my hardest to stay on. As you can see, my voice is already gone," Akoto said.

And even then, goal reactions are a massive part of the whole deal. That is, in fact, where the content is made.

"If there's a goal, we try to go out there, try to hype up the crowd and stuff like that. If it's just a match where everybody is passing back and forth to each other, it is kind of hard. You just try to keep the energy up as much as you can," Akoto said.

Of course, in a sense, this is nothing new. These two got here by being soccer fanatics. Franklin and Akoto both admit that their sleep schedules are regularly disrupted by the cadence of global soccer.

"You get used to waking up, watching the match, taking a little cat nap, then Arsenal comes on at 9. You kind of move on throughout your day from there and make the most of it," Franklin said.

There’s life to consider, too. They have built sleep schedules and workouts around this thing. Filming, editing and posting social content also takes time. They may be getting paid a lot of money to watch football, but the responsibility is still very much apparent.

Brazil fans Times Square

'You're Brazilian now'

Yet the connection between them and the fans is the most rewarding part, the duo admitted.

They had thousands watching along during the Senegal-France match on June 16. Supporters have come out in droves for Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. There is a symbiotic relationship here between fan and watcher, one that keeps both parties going regardless of the score.

"I was just hanging out with [Brazilians], and somebody was like, 'You're a Brazilian now,' because I was just like, I like their energy, I like their kind of vibe. And I was walking with them toward the center of Times Square. Somebody handed me a piece of the flag and was like, 'I love your energy, you're Brazilian now,'" Franklin said.

It was followed by one of the Brazilian ultras taking off his jersey and handing it to him. He did not quite know how to react.

"It's just fun," Franklin said with a laugh.

Akoto, Franklin

'Coming together and having a good time'

And perhaps that's the broader point here. These two may be official World Cup watchers, but there's a real community here. Franklin is American, but he feels as if he has been adopted by the Brazilian ultras in a way.

Akoto has Spain as his favorite. But this whole thing has brought a sense of blissful impartiality. They are passionate football fans who do not really have a team.

This World Cup has been a good advertisement for community among fans, people adopted by new cities. The Tartan Army drinking Boston dry. Norwegians "rowing" their way through Times Square.

And these two guys might just be the physical embodiment of it all, no matter how much coffee it takes to get through.

"It's just like coming together, throwing away the outside problems and just coming together and having a good time," Akoto said.