Credit: Twitter
Nouhala Benzina of Morocco, who recently competed in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, made history by becoming the first person to participate in a World Cup game while donning an Islamic head covering. EA changed Benzina's player model in the most recent FIFA 23 title update to include a hijab.
FIFA had previously prohibited it because it may potentially result in head or neck injuries. When FIFA officially permitted players to cover their heads for religious reasons in March 2014, this situation changed significantly. The Sikh community of Canada requested that male players be permitted to wear turbans, and this request was granted by the ruling.
This is mentioned in the patch notes for the most recent version, where EA claims to have "updated Nouhaila Benzina's player model to include her head covering." Hijabs being worn during actual football games is a relatively new development.
Benzina, who boasts an excellent list of achievements, has made history before. After the Atlas Lions defeated African powerhouse and 11-time defending champions Nigeria in the semi-final, the defender assisted her team in becoming the first North African and Arab nation to play in the WAFCON final. Morocco became the first nation from the Middle East and North Africa to qualify for the Women's World Cup thanks to the victory.
The world was stunned when Benzina and the company, who were thrown into a difficult group with favourites Germany, Columbia, and Korea Republic, advanced to the knockout stages instead of the Euro 2022 finalists.
Following a 4-0 loss to France, Morocco was eliminated from the Women's World Cup. France will now face Australia on August 12 in the quarterfinals. The United States, who previously held the World Cup and had won it four times, including in 2015 and 2019, were eliminated by Sweden on penalties in the round of 16.
