FIFA 23 has updated its model for defender Nouhaila Benzina to add her hijab, which she wore in the World Cup match between Morocco and South Korea.
Benzina is the first player to play in a World Cup match wearing a hijab, as the wearing of head coverings for religious reasons in matches was only authorised in 2014.
FIFA 23‘s title update 16 for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One rolled out on August 4, and developers EA Vancouver and EA Romania added that Benzina’s player model will now show her in her hjiab.
FIFA 23 has added a player wearing a hijab for the first time in the series’ history, Morocco’s Nouhalia Benzina, after she made history in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. pic.twitter.com/GJ6xcxD6wu
— the female athlete project (@femathproject) August 10, 2023
Alongside general visual changes like updates for “boots, gloves, kits, tifos, and VIP Areas” and an issue in Volta where controller settings would reset to the default scheme, the developers have “updated Nouhalia Benzina’s player model to include her head covering.”
The 25-year-old defender was subjected to criticism with her choice to compete in her hijab. Journalist Philippe Guibert called it “incredibly regressive” while L’Equipe said that “FIFA’s position is not the same as that of France”. However, young Muslim footballers consider Benzina to be one of their role models — “If I had seen someone like that [Benzina] when I was younger, it might have pushed me to play football at a younger age.”
Looking forward, EA Sports FC 24 is the first entry in the series to feature women’s teams in Ultimate Team Evolutions. This adds players like Chelsea’s Sam Kerr, Arsenal’s Beth Mead and Orlando Pride’s Marta Vieira da Silva.
“We have a vision of connecting not just the 150 million fans we have now, but a billion fans,” said Electronic Arts vice president and executive producer John Shepherd. “We want this game and this brand, this club, this ecosystem, to welcome everybody.”
In other gaming news, Escape From Tarkov‘s latest patch introduced a new boss as well as an expansion to the Streets Of Tarkov map, while wiping players’ progress again.
