Grant Wahl Died of Undetected Aortic Aneurysm, Wife Confirms

The 49-year-old collapsed suddenly on Friday while covering the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands at the World Cup in Qatar.

The wife of former Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl confirmed the journalist’s cause of death on Wednesday morning. 

Following an autopsy performed by the New York City Medical Examiner’s office, Dr. Céline Gounder said the renowned reporter died from an undetected aortic aneurysm. Wahl, 49, collapsed suddenly Friday while covering the quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands at the World Cup in Qatar. 

According to Gounder, Wahl’s death was caused by “the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium,” she wrote on Wahl’s Substack, “Fútbol with Grant Wahl.” She noted Wahl’s death was not related to COVID-19 or his vaccination status, and “there was nothing nefarious about his death.”

“I think in these kinds of moments you really have to show grace to how people grieve,” Gounder said on a CBS Mornings appearance. “And my family, my husband’s family, our family has had a lot of loss in the last few years. … There has just been a lot.” 

Wertheim: Remembering Grant Wahl: A Sterling Example of How to Work With Principle

Wahl’s body and possessions were repatriated by the United States on Monday. 

Grant Wahl’s wife, Dr. @celinegounder, reveals that the renowned journalist died due to an aortic aneurysm that ruptured at the World Cup.

Gounder says she hopes he is remembered as a “kind, generous person who was really dedicated to social justice.” pic.twitter.com/aaVkb2dhrb

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) December 14, 2022

Wahl collapsed in his press seat during extra time of the Argentina-Netherlands game, according to the Associated Press. Emergency responders tended to Wahl for about 20 to 30 minutes at the stadium before taking him away on a stretcher. 

Wahl worked at SI for 24 years and became one of the premier voices in international soccer during his career. Tributes poured in remembering the journalism great. 

“I think for him, soccer was more than just a sport,” Gounder said on CBS. “It was this thing that connected people around the world. There’s so much about the culture, the politics of soccer. To him, it was a way of really understanding people and where they were coming from.”