Morocco’s Benzina Becomes First Player To Wear Hijab At Women’s World Cup
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Twenty-five year-old Moroccan defender, Nouhaila Benzina, became the first football player to wear hijab at the ongoing Women’s World Cup in Australia.
She made history when she sported the Muslim headscarf in Morocco’s match against South Korea on Sunday.
The Football’s world governing body FIFA had authorised the wearing of head covers for religious purposes during matches in 2014.
Nouhaila Benzina, who plays her club football in Morocco, ran out against South Korea in Adelaide to write her name in the history books. 
She had shared social media posts in the lead-up to the World Cup about wearing a hijab, but has not spoken to the media in Australia and New Zealand about it.
Several other sports have lifted hijab bans in recent years including basketball, but it is still not allowed during official football matches in France.
The Moroccan women, coached by Frenchman Reynald Pedros, are at their first Women’s World Cup on the back of a historic runners-up finish at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
They were thrashed 6-0 by Germany in their tournament opener, with Benzina remaining on the bench.
Nouhaila Benzina was born on May 11, 1998, in Kenitra, Morocco.
