Editors’ note: This story has been updated to reflect that Grant Wahl turned 49 on Dec. 2.
Fox Sports gave a touching tribute to esteemed soccer journalist and former Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl on Saturday morning ahead of the day’s two World Cup quarterfinal matches.
Wahl died Friday in Qatar while covering the 2022 World Cup. He was 49.
“Today, we’re going to try and celebrate the beautiful game with heavy, heavy hearts. Yesterday the American soccer community suffered an unspeakable loss. Renowned and massively influential journalist Grant Wahl passed away here in Qatar while covering this tournament,” Fox Sports host Rob Stone said. “Grant’s career included more than two decades at Sports Illustrated and seven years as a colleague here at Fox during which he helped raise the popularity of soccer in the United States to new heights.”
Wahl spent 24 years at SI, joining in November 1996. He also worked with Fox Sports as an on-air personality for seven years and wrote three books on the game: The Beckham Experiment, Masters of Modern Soccer and Football 2.0.
After leaving SI in 2020, he launched his own Substack, “Fútbol with Grant Wahl,” to share his soccer coverage, and worked with Meadowlark Media. He also served as a producer on the Good Rivals docuseries on Prime Video.
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 Céline and his family, as well as everyone who loved his work. He will always be part of the SI family.”
Wahl is survived by his wife, Dr. Céline Gounder, and two dogs, Zizou (named after French soccer legend Zinedine Zidane) and Coco.
U.S. Soccer said in a statement: “The entire U.S. Soccer Family is heartbroken to learn that we have lost Grant Wahl. 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. Céline 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.”
