Grant Wahl’s body is returned to the United States after he died suddenly at World Cup

The body of well-known US soccer journalist Grant Wahl has arrived in the United States, the State Department said on Monday, following his shock death at the World Cup in Qatar.

The official said Wahl’s remains and his belongings arrived at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport around 8:30am ET. 

They were accompanied by a consular official from the US Embassy in Doha who had had custody of Wahl’s remains since shortly after he collapsed during Friday’s match between Argentina and Holland and later died at the age of 49.

‘American journalist Grant Wahl has been returned to his family in the US. We’re honored to have shepherded him home, & grateful to the government of Qatar for their cooperation & transparency with our consular process,’ US ambassador to Qatar, Timmy Davis, said in a tweet.

Wahl, a former Sports Illustrated sportswriter who moved to the Substack online publishing platform, had been tweeting about the Holland-Argentina match on Friday.

His agent said that Wahl had ‘appeared to suffer some kind of acute distress during the start of extra time’ at the quarterfinal match.

 Wahl was a former Sports Illustrated sportswriter who moved to the Substack online platform

Grant Wahl smiles as he holds World Cup replica trophy during ceremony in Doha in November

The agent said attempts were made to revive Wahl in the press box before he was taken to a local hospital, where he was confirmed dead on Friday.

US State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Monday that an autopsy would be conducted on Wahl’s remains, which were with a medical examiner, but there was no indication of foul play in his death.

‘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,’ US Secretary of State Antony Blinken added on Twitter on Monday.

‘I so appreciated Grant Wahl, whose writing captured not only the essence of the beautiful game but also the world around it.’

Wahl wrote early last week that he had visited a hospital while in Qatar and that health officials told him he likely had bronchitis.

Wahl said in late November that he was briefly stopped at a World Cup stadium security screening point when he tried to enter while wearing a rainbow shirt in support of the LGBTQ community. In Qatar, same-sex relations are illegal.

He said World Cup security denied him entry to the United States opener against Wales and asked him to remove his shirt.

A tribute to Wahl is shown on a screen before England’s quarterfinal game vs. France Saturday