FIFA 23 adds Hijab wearing player in franchise first
FIFA 2023 has added its first-ever Hijab-wearing athlete as part of the ongoing 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
Nouhaïla Benzina is the first footballer in the game series' history to wear a Muslim head covering. In a recent patch, Benzina's digital appearance in FIFA 2023 was updated to reflect her real-life counterpart. EA announced it had ”updated Nouhaïla Benzina’s player model to include her head covering” (via VGC).
The wearing of Hijabs during FIFA-officiated football matches has been a relatively late development. Until March 2014, the practice was outright banned by FIFA on the grounds that it could cause injuries.
This changed in 2014, when FIFA lifted its ban on head coverings, allowing players to wear hijabs. The ruling also allowed male players to wear turbans, following a request from the Sikh community in Canada.
Muslim fans across the sport have been celebrating the change, including sports Journalist Mariam Kourabi, who posted about the update on her Twitter account.
On Wednesday, EA Sports announced the addition of Nouhaila Benzina on FIFA 23 as she was previously not in the World Cup mode
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