Grant Wahl's cause of death revealed after awful tragedy at World Cup

Grant Wahl's wife has revealed the American journalist died of a ruptured aortic aneurysm after he collapsed and passed away at the World Cup in Qatar. Wahl's death at 48 sent shockwaves through the football community and sparked some sinister theories about what happened.

Wahl collapsed in the press room while covering Argentina's clash with the Netherlands in the quarter-finals and was later pronounced dead at hospital. The shocking tragedy came after Wahl had been detained earlier in the World Cup for wearing a rainbow pride shirt, while he also wrote a number of scathing articles about Qatar and their human rights issues.

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In a video posted immediately after his death, Wahl's brother Eric suggested there was foul play involved. However Wahl's wife Dr Celine Gounder released a statement on Wednesday to put those claims to bed.

"An autopsy was performed by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office. Grant died from the rupture of a slowly growing, undetected ascending aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium. The chest pressure he experienced shortly before his death may have represented the initial symptoms," the statement said.

"No amount of CPR or shocks would have saved him. His death was unrelated to Covid. His death was unrelated to vaccination status. There was nothing nefarious about his death."

An aortic aneurysm occurs when the aorta, the main artery that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body, develops a balloon-like bulge. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it can build for years, often with no symptoms or symptoms that can seem like something else. When the pressure on the aorta gets too great, it can rupture.

Eric Wahl said he initially suspected Grant had been killed, suggesting his death was in connection to his recent act of protest in support of the LGBTQIA+ community. Homosexuality is outlawed in Qatar, but Wahl decided to wear a rainbow shirt to a match on November 21 in support of Eric, who is gay, and the LGBTQIA+ community.

“I’m the reason he wore the rainbow shirt to the World Cup. My brother was healthy. He told me he received death threats. I do not believe my brother just died. I believe he was killed. And I just beg for any help," Eric said at the time. However Eric tweeted on Tuesday that he no longer suspected his brother's death was the result of foul play.

Grounder added in her statement: "While the world knew Grant as a great journalist, we knew him as a man who approached the world with openness and love. Grant was an incredibly empathetic, dedicated, and loving husband, brother, uncle, and son who was our greatest teammate and fan. We will forever cherish the gift of his life."

Grant Wahl was feeling unwell before death

Wahl had revealed before his death that he'd been feeling in Qatar. “My body I think told me, even after the US went out, ‘dude, you are not sleeping enough.’ It rebelled on me,” he said on a podcast episode.

“So I’ve had a case of bronchitis this week, I’ve been to the medical clinic at the media centre twice now, including today. I’m feeling better today I basically cancelled everything on this Thursday that I had and napped. And I’m doing slightly better. I think you can probably tell in my voice that I’m not 100 per cent.”

US Soccer said in a statement: “The entire US 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, coaches, and the many personalities that make soccer unlike any sport."

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