ANKARA
Morocco defender Nouhaila Benzina went down in history books on Sunday as she became the first football player to wear a hijab in a FIFA Women’s World Cup match.
Atlas Lionesses’ Benzina, 25, the only hijabi athlete in the Women’s World Cup, played against South Korea that Morocco won 1-0 in a Group H match in Australia’s Adelaide, wearing a white hijab.
Moroccan forward Ibtissam Jraidi scored an early goal, which was the winning goal for her nation.
Morocco made their debut at the 2023 Women’s World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Benzina was an unused substitute for Morocco’s opening match at the tournament that Germany hammered them 6-0 on July 24 in Melbourne.
In a 2014 meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), world football’s governing body FIFA authorized Muslim players to wear hijab during matches.
