Wahl, a renowned international sports journalist who helped grow the coverage of soccer in the U.S., is survived by his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder.
Grant Wahl, a former Sports Illustrated senior writer, died Friday in Qatar while covering the 2022 World Cup. He was 48.
Wahl is survived by his wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, and two dogs, Zizou (named after French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane) and Coco, who readers came to know over the years through Wahl’s coverage of the sport.
In a joint statement, SI’s co-editors in chief Ryan Hunt and Stephen Cannella said: “We’re shocked and devastated at the news of Grant’s passing. We were proud to call him a colleague and friend for two decades—no writer in the history of SI has been more passionate about the sport he loved and the stories he wanted to tell. Our hearts go out to Celine and his family, as well as everyone who loved his work. He will always be part of the SI family.”
Wahl spent 24 years at SI, joining in November 1996. Two years in, as a budding reporter, he volunteered to cover a growing game that few around SI's offices cared about: soccer. He covered the World Cup in France that summer and quickly worked his way up to a senior writer for the publication in 2000. Eventually he would become one of the most respected soccer authorities in the world. Wahl specialized in international coverage, constantly expanding his love, knowledge and respect for the game. Before his professional career, he spent a summer in Argentina studying the political culture of clubs for his senior thesis at Princeton University.
Wahl also worked with Fox Sports, as an on-air personality, and he wrote three books on the game: The Beckham Expert, Masters of Modern Soccer and Football 2.0.
After leaving SI in 2020, he started his own Substack, “Fútbol with Grant Wahl,” to share his soccer coverage and worked at Meadowlark Media. He was also a producer on the Good Rivals docuseries on Prime Video.
A world traveler with a passion for spreading soccer throughout the United States, he even campaigned to become FIFA’s president in 2011.
“The entire U.S. Soccer Family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl,” U.S. Soccer said in a statement. “Fans of soccer and journalism of the highest quality knew we could always count on Grant to deliver insightful and entertaining stories about our game and its major protagonists: teams, players and coaches and the many personalities that make soccer unlike any sport.
“Grant made soccer his life’s work, and we are devastated that he and his brilliant writing will no longer be with the U.S. U.S. Soccer sends its sincerest condolences to Grant’s wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, and all of his family members, friends and colleagues in the media. And we thank Grant for his tremendous dedication to and impact on our game in the United States. His writing and stories he told will love on.”
