The body of soccer journalist Grant Wahl was returned to the United States on Monday for an independent autopsy after his unexpected death at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar last week.
The arrival of Wahl’s body on U.S. soil was confirmed by the State Department, with his remains landing at the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City, accompanied by a U.S. official from the embassy in Doha, Qatar.
WORLD CUP 2022: SECOND JOURNALIST DIES SUDDENLY DAYS AFTER GRANT WAHL DEATH
“I so appreciated Grant Wahl, whose writing captured not only the essence of the beautiful game but also the world around it,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted. “I send my deepest condolences to his family, and thank our Embassy team and Qatari partners who worked together so effectively to fulfill their wishes.”
I so appreciated Grant Wahl, whose writing captured not only the essence of the beautiful game but also the world around it. I send my deepest condolences to his family, and thank our Embassy team and Qatari partners who worked together so effectively to fulfill their wishes.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 12, 2022
Wahl, who was covering the Netherlands-Argentina quarterfinals, went into acute distress on Friday but was laughing and appeared healthy minutes before his death, according to colleagues and fellow reporters. No cause of death has been released. However, Wahl had reportedly been feeling ill the day before he died. Doctors on site believed he likely had bronchitis.
“My body finally broke down on me,” Wahl wrote on his personal website. “Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you. What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort.”
State Department spokesman Ned Price confirmed there would be a full autopsy by the New York City medical examiner’s office, which is in possession of Wahl.
“What I can also say is that we have seen no indication of foul play or anything nefarious it at this point,” Price said, according to NBC News. “We did receive excellent cooperation from our Qatari partners.”
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Wahl was known for his work at Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, NBC News, and Fox Sports. One of Wahl’s stories for Sports Illustrated has been credited for introducing the world to NBA star LeBron James when James was just 17 years old.
A second journalist died unexpectedly at the World Cup on Saturday. His cause of death is also unknown.
