American soccer journalist Grant Wahl's death while covering the World Cup was caused by an aortic aneurysm, his wife said Wednesday.

Wahl, 49, collapsed Friday in the press area during a quarterfinal match between Argentina and the Netherlands. He was treated at the stadium before being moved to a hospital, according to reports. Wahl was pronounced dead shortly after.

Wahl’s body returned to the United States on Monday.

In an interview with “CBS Mornings,” Wahl’s wife, Dr. Celine Gounder, said an autopsy performed by the New York City medical examiner’s office found that Wahl had an aortic aneurysm that ruptured.

An aortic aneurysm is a balloon-like bulge that occurs in the wall of the major blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body.

“It's just one of these things that had been likely brewing for years, and for whatever reason, it happened at this point in time,” Gounder said.

In the days leading up to his death, Wahl had been ill. He sought medical treatment and was told he likely had bronchitis.

Gounder told CBS that Wahl loved covering soccer because, to him, it was “more than just a sport.”

“It was this thing that connected people around the world,” she said. “There's so much about the culture, the politics of soccer. To him, it was a way of really understanding people and where they were coming from.”

She said she hopes people will remember him as a “kind, generous person who was really dedicated to social justice.”

“I think that's another aspect of soccer that was really important to him … promoting the women's game, the recent statements he had made about LGBT rights,” Gounder said. “That was Grant.”

Wahl wrote for Sports Illustrated for 24 years and became one of the most prominent journalists covering soccer in the U.S. After leaving Sports Illustrated in 2020, he launched his own subscription newsletter and podcast and was a commentator for Fox Sports and CBS Sports.