The late reporter Grant Wahl is inducted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame as he is posthumously honored with a media award five months after the famed journalist died during the World Cup in Qatar
- Wahl died in December at the age of 49 after collapsing while covering the World Cup
- He was honored with the Colin Jose Media Award at Frisco in Texas on Saturday
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The late Grant Wahl was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame when he was posthumously honored with the Colin Jose Media Award.
Wahl died at the age of 49 on December 10 after collapsing during the World Cup quarter-final between Argentina and the Netherlands in Lusail, Qatar.
He was honored at the induction into the Hall of Fame in Frisco, Texas, with the award given to journalists who have made long-standing contributions to football in the United States.
Announcing his award, the Hall of Fame’s official Twitter account wrote, “He devoted his life to growing the game and left an indelible legacy in American football.”
Wahl’s wife Celine Grounder and his brother Eric accepted the award on his behalf.
The late Grant Wahl was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Saturday
Wahl’s widow Celine Grounder (L) and his brother Eric (R) accepted the award on his behalf
When announcing his award, the Hall of Fame’s official Twitter account paid tribute to Wahl
The USMNT also paid tribute to the late journalist by quoting and tweeting the Hall of Fame announcement by posting, “Today and every day we remember and celebrate Grant Wahl’s work to grow our sport. His legacy now lives on forever in the @soccerhof.’
Wahl worked for Sports Illustrated from 1996 to 2021, covering football and college basketball, and then started his own website.
He also worked for Fox and CBS, and wrote the books ‘The Beckham Experiment’, about the move of English star David Beckham to Major League Soccer’s LA Galaxy, and ‘Masters of Modern Soccer’.
Wahl – an accomplished sports journalist for more than 25 years – was in Qatar to cover his eighth Men’s World Cup and his twelfth World Cup overall.
During the match, Wahl suddenly collapsed in his seat in the press box at Qatar’s Lusail Iconic Stadium.
Paramedics on the scene treated him for about half an hour before he was transported to Hamad General Hospital in Doha, where he was pronounced dead on December 10.
An autopsy by the New York City Medical Examiner’s Office revealed the cause of death was a ruptured aortic aneurysm with hemopericardium, Gounder wrote in a blog post.
“No amount of CPR or shock could have saved him. His death had nothing to do with COVID. His death had nothing to do with vaccination status. There was nothing shameful about his death,” she wrote.
Wahl died suddenly aged 49 from an ‘aortic aneurysm that ruptured’ during the World Cup in Qatar
MLS teams honored him by holding a space in the press boxes on the opening weekend of the season
During the opening weekend of the MLS season, teams also honored Wahl with a seat in press boxes around the league reserved for him.
Press boxes across the league placed images of Wahl alongside flowers, rainbow banners, memorabilia from his podcast, and cards encouraging people to share interactions with him, as well as other memories from his life that impacted others.
Meanwhile, American female star Hope Solo was also inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday.
The USWNT goalkeeper thanked her teammates over the years as she accepted the award.
Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Lauren Cheney Holiday, Kate Sobrero Markgraf, former American women’s coach Jill Ellis and Steve Zungul will be featured in the room.