American Officials in Touch with Qatari Authorities to Get Journalist Grant Wahl's Body Back to U.S.

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The U.S. State Department has confirmed that it is working with Qatari officials to return sports journalist Grant Wahl's body back to the country.

Ned Price, the department's spokesperson, released a statement on Twitter a day after Wahl's death. He had been covering the FIFA World Cup in Qatar when he collapsed during a match and was pronounced dead at the age of 48.

"We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Grant Wahl and send our condolences to his family, with whom we have been in close communication," Price said. "We are engaged with senior Qatari officials to see to it that his family's wishes are fulfilled as expeditiously as possible."

Per ESPN, in a previous statement, the World Cup organizing committee said, "We are in touch with the US Embassy and relevant local authorities to ensure the process of repatriating the body is in accordance with the family's wishes."

The shocking news of Wahl's death rocked the U.S. soccer community, and many reporters who are covering the FIFA World Cup have released their own tributes to the sports reporter.

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Play-by-play announcer Derek Rae paid a touching tribute to Wahl while calling the FIFA quarterfinal match between Morocco and Portugal. He called him a "trailblazer in terms of [soccer] in the United States" and mentioned that he was "encouraging" to aspiring journalists.

FOX Sports host Rob Stone also opened the station's FIFA World Cup Live Show with a short salute, saying, "We're going to celebrate the game with heavy, heavy hearts."

"Yesterday, the American soccer community suffered an unspeakable loss," Stone said. "Renowned, massively influential journalist Grant Wahl passed away here in Qatar while covering this tournament."

Ryan Hunt and Stephen Cannella, the co-editors in chief Sports Illustrated — where Wahl worked as a reporter for 24 years — released a statement saying they 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," they continued. "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."

RELATED: Journalist Grant Wahl Said He 'Had a Case of Bronchitis' Before His Death: 'Pressure and Discomfort'

Thus far, a cause of death has not yet been released.

On his Fútbol with Grant Wahl podcast on Thursday, Wahl discussed feeling unwell over the past few weeks.

"My body told me, even after the U.S. went out, 'Dude, you are not sleeping enough,' and it rebelled on me. So I've had a case of bronchitis this week," he said. "I've been to the medical clinic at the media center twice now, including today. I'm feeling better today, I basically canceled everything on this Thursday, that I had, and napped."

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He added in the podcast that he was feeling "slightly better" but still wasn't back to "100%."

"Three weeks of little sleep, high stress and lots of work can do that to you," he wrote. "What had been a cold over the last 10 days turned into something more severe on the night of the USA-Netherlands game, and I could feel my upper chest take on a new level of pressure and discomfort. I didn't have Covid (I test regularly here), but I went into the medical clinic at the main media center today, and they said I probably have bronchitis. They gave me a course of antibiotics and some heavy-duty cough syrup, and I'm already feeling a bit better just a few hours later. But still: No bueno."