Grant Wahl: An American soccer journalist dies in Qatar while covering the World Cup

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Grant Wahl, one of the most respected sports journalists in the United States and perhaps the country’s best-known soccer writer, died early Saturday while covering the World Cup match between Argentina and the Netherlands in Qatar.

Wahl is said to have collapsed while in the media booth at the iconic Lusail Stadium during overtime, and cannot be revived.

The journalist was covering the World Cup for the eighth time and made headlines earlier in the tournament when he said he was banned from a match for wearing a rainbow shirt.

Wahl’s agent Tim Scanlan told The New York Times that the sportswriter had a severe crunch in the final minutes of the quarterfinal game, which he was covering from the press section in the upper stands of the stadium.

The journalist had written about his health struggles in the tournament earlier this week. On Monday, he said, he visited the hospital after his “body finally collapsed on me.” “Three weeks of too little sleep, too much stress, and too much work can do that to you,” Wahl writes.

“What had been a cold for the past 10 days turned into something much more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I felt my upper chest experience a new level of pressure and discomfort.

“I didn’t have Covid (I get tested regularly here), but I went to the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I most likely had bronchitis.

“They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy duty cough syrup, and I actually feel a little better after just a few hours. But still: no bueno.”

His wife, Celine Gunder, said she was in “total shock”. “I am so grateful for the support of my husband Grant Wahl’s football family and the many friends who reached out to us tonight,” she wrote on Twitter.

The NFL said it was “sad to learn” of Wahl’s death.

“Football fans and journalism of the highest quality knew that they could always count on Grant to provide insightful and entertaining stories about our game and its key heroes: the teams, players, coaches and many personalities that make football different from any sport,” he said.

“His writing and the stories he tells will live on.”

Wahl said he was briefly detained in November when he tried to enter a stadium in Qatar wearing a rainbow T-shirt in support of the LGBT+ community. He claimed that security at Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium in Al Rayyan prevented him from entering the US opening match against Wales and asked him to change his shirt.

Wahl was among 82 journalists honored by FIFA and the International Federation of Sports Press (AIPS) for attending eight or more World Cups.

A graduate of Princeton University in 1996, Wall worked for Sports Illustrated from 1996 to 2021, known primarily for its coverage of college football and basketball.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said the administration is in close contact with Wahl’s family.

He said, “We are communicating with senior Qatari officials to ensure that the wishes of his family are met as soon as possible.”

Additional reporting by agencies

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