Chief World – Kevin Akoto and Austin Franklin have a once-in-a-lifetime World Cup job: watching all 104 matches from a glass “Cube” in Times Square—while earning a $50,000 reward. Chosen through Fox One and Indeed, they say the hardest part isn’t the noise or the long days,
On match days, Times Square doesn’t just feel like it’s watching the World Cup—it feels like it’s celebrating it, right in the middle of the street. And inside a clear glass “Cube,” two fans are doing it for a living.
Kevin Akoto and Austin Franklin were given the chance to watch every World Cup match—104 games total—from the comfort of that box in Times Square. They’ll have state-of-the-art televisions and surround sound systems to follow the action. snacks to eat between fixtures. and toys and games to pass the time. The most enticing part is also the simplest: the $50,000 reward that comes with the role.
Fox One collaborated with Indeed, the multinational employment website, to find the right people for the position. Akoto described how the application happened like it was part impulse and part routine: he picked up his phone. started recording. made a video. went through Indeed. and put the application in.
“After weeks and weeks of waiting got the email that the good people at Fox wanted to meet with me, and from then on it’s been a wonderful adventure,” Akoto said.
For the pair, this World Cup is also a scheduling puzzle with real personal consequences. Akoto said the tournament is especially time-consuming because it spans four time zones, forcing them to make sacrifices to be ready for late-night kick-offs.
“I quit my job to be here, so it’s completely changing my schedule to be here, and also going through the mentality, this is a marathon, not a sprint, making sure that you take just taking it one day at a time,” Akoto said.
Franklin’s trade-offs weren’t as solitary. He said the main things he had to work around were “a bachelor party and a wedding,” and that his friends were supportive enough to make missing them feel less complicated.
“Thankfully, my buddies were excited for me to have the opportunity and said that I couldn’t miss doing this, and that you know I have plenty of money for their wedding gifts now, so it’s good,” Franklin said.
Part of what made them stand out, they said, is that they already know how to build an audience. Both were selected because they have experience with content creation. and they’ve amassed hundreds of thousands of followers across multiple platforms. Akoto said the job fits that skill set in a way that reaches far beyond New York.
“It’s great for visibility, more people, not just in the US but around the world, can see what we’re doing, can see the unique things that we’re doing, it just gives us more visibility,” Akoto said.
The Cube itself pulls attention all day, and during matches it turns into a kind of public landmark for soccer fans. Franklin compared it to being watched through glass—only without the stillness you might expect.
“I’m like a little fish in an aquarium, just kind of swimming around, letting people watch me. Sometimes, they feed me too, so it’s been pretty good,” he joked.
Even as they spend most of their time being ogled, the job still finds moments that feel personal. Franklin said that one of his favorite parts has been the way Times Square becomes a gathering point for supporters who plan their celebrations around the games.
“I just think having everyone congregate in Times Square has been the coolest experience for whatever reason. Anybody who has a match in the in in New York decides to have like a big party in Times Square. and thankfully. we get to be here to go celebrate it with them. and that’s been my favorite part of all of it. ” he added.
He also talked about the kind of small, meaningful encounters that can’t be staged: being told he has a Brazilian spirit and getting gifted a Brazilian ultras jersey by a Brazilian fan.
“Being told that I have a Brazilian spirit and getting gifted a Brazilian ultras Jersey by a Brazilian fan, it’s tough to top that. I mean, that was like the coolest World Cup experience ever,” Franklin said.
For Akoto and Franklin. the job isn’t only about watching matches—it’s also about how social media turns those matches into a shared culture. They pointed back to 1994. when the World Cup was played in the United States and social media didn’t exist the way it does now. Akoto said they couldn’t see what was happening around the country then the way they can now.
“But now 2026 you know we get to see how the Japanese fans are liking barbecue we get to see the Scottish people taking over Boston. drinking all their beer so it’s definitely great that a lot of people can see basically the community that soccer builds and I feel like that’s gonna help uh grow the game in this country more. ” he said.
From the Golden Boot race to cheering on the United States Men’s National team, Akoto and Franklin will take it all in the same strange, thrilling way: in the middle of Times Square, inside the Cube—watching the sport on a schedule that feels like a marathon, not a sprint.
World Cup Times Square Fox One Indeed Kevin Akoto Austin Franklin soccer fans Chief World Cup Watchers Cube $50 000
So basically you get paid to watch TV in a glass box? must be nice.
I don’t even get why people are applying like it’s work lol. $50k for snacks and toys sounds like an infomercial. Also Times Square is always loud so how is that “hardest part”??
Wait, they said they had to watch 104 matches but the World Cup doesn’t have that many games? Or maybe I’m mixing it up with something else. Either way quitting your job for that sounds insane, but $50k makes it hard to judge.
This is kinda messed up if you think about it… like normal people can’t get that kind of opportunity. Glass cube in Times Square, state-of-the-art TVs, surround sound, toys?? Meanwhile my cousin works two jobs and can’t take off for one match. I guess they got picked from Indeed which is also weird to me, like do you just record a video and magically get hired?