Grant Wahl, one of America’s best-known soccer writers, died early Saturday while covering the World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands in Lusail, Qatar.
American media sitting near him said Wahl fell back in his seat in the media stand at the iconic Lusail Stadium during overtime and adjacent reporters called for help. Emergency workers responded very quickly, the reporters said, and were later told that Wahl had died.
I am very grateful for my husband’s support
I am totally shocked. https://t.co/OB3IzOxGlE
—@celinegounder
Wahl tweeted Wednesday that he had celebrated his birthday that day. American journalists who met Wahl said he was 49 years old.
“We could always count on Grant to deliver insightful and entertaining stories about our game and its key players,” the U.S. Soccer Federation said in a statement. “Grant’s belief in the power of the game to advance human rights was and will continue to be an inspiration to all. Grant made football his life’s work, and we are devastated that he and his brilliant writing are no longer with us.”
Wahl was covering his eighth World Cup. He wrote on his website on Monday that he had visited a medical clinic while in Qatar.
“My body finally broke up with me. Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and a lot of work can do that to you,” Wahl wrote. “What had been a cold for the past 10 days turned into something more serious the night of the USA vs Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort” .
Wahl wrote that he tested negative for COVID-19 and sought treatment for his symptoms.
“I went to the medical clinic in the main media center today and was told I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some cough syrup and I’m feeling a little better in a few hours. later. But still: No, bueno,” he wrote.
Wahl wore a rainbow shirt in support of LGBTQ rights to the U.S.’s World Cup opener against Wales on Nov. 21 and wrote that he was denied entry by security and told him to take off his shirt. Gay and lesbian sex is criminalized in Qatar, a conservative Muslim nation.
Wahl wrote that he was detained for 25 minutes at Al Rayyan’s Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium and then released by a security commander. Wahl said FIFA apologized to him.
We were deeply saddened to learn of Grant Wahl’s death and send our condolences to his family, with whom we have been in close communication. We are engaged with senior Qatari officials to ensure that his family’s wishes are fulfilled as quickly as possible.
—@StateDeptSpox
US State Department spokesman Ned Price tweeted Friday afternoon: “We were deeply saddened to learn of Grant Wahl’s death and send our condolences to his family, with whom we have been in close communication . We are engaged with senior Qatari officials to ensure that his family’s wishes are carried out as quickly as possible.”
Wahl is survived by his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, an associate professor at New York University School of Medicine, a physician at Bellevue Hospital Center and a CBS News contributor.
Gounder tweeted that she was grateful for the support from her husband’s “football family” and friends who had reached out.
“I am in complete shock,” he wrote.
An occasional voter for FIFA’s annual awards, Wahl wrote this week that he had been among 82 journalists honored by FIFA and the international sports press association AIPS for attending eight or more World Cups.
Wahl graduated from Princeton in 1996 and worked for Sports Illustrated from 1996 to 2021, known primarily for its coverage of college football and basketball. He then launched his own website.
Wahl also worked for Fox Sports from 2012 to 2019.