NYC Sportswriter Grant Wahl Died Of An Aneurysm At Qatar World Cup

NEW YORK CITY, NY — An autopsy confirmed that soccer sportswriter Grant Wahl died from a ruptured aneurysm, his wife confirmed in a statement shared on Wahl's website.

"This continues to be a very difficult and painful time as we grieve a beloved husband, brother, and friend," his wife, Céline Gounder, an infectious disease specialist, wrote in the statement.

According to NPR, the 48-year-old New York City resident died while on assignment in Doha, Qatar, where he was covering Friday's Argentina-Netherlands quarterfinal match at the World Cup when he collapsed at the press tribune inside Lusail Stadium.

Gounder wrote that Wahl's body was flown home on Monday, where an autopsy performed by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that Wahl died from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium.

She added that shortly before his death, he experienced chest pressure but that "no amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him."

"While the world knew Grant as a great journalist, we knew him as a man who approached the world with openness and love," Gounder wrote. " We will forever cherish the gift of his life; to share his company was our greatest love and source of joy."

According to a biography provided by Gounder, after graduating from Princeton University, Wahl began his career in 1996 at Sports Illustrated. His feature stories included his celebrated cover story on LeBron James at age 16, his account of the US Women’s World Cup win in 1999, and his story of one soccer family’s loss and resilience. In 2009 he began covering soccer exclusively, and became an influential voice in elevating both men’s and women’s soccer in the U.S., becoming a New York Times bestselling author of two books on some of the greatest players in the game.

Gounder wrote that "above all, he expressed his values through his work: his commitments to seeking truth through reporting, supporting fundamental human rights, and fighting for equality."