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EA has been very vocal about wanting to make their footballing games inclusive and all-encompassing, which has seen additional women’s teams included in EA Sports FC 24, as well as women being added to Ultimate Team for the first time! In another win for the brand, the latest FIFA 23 update includes the hijab for Morocco’s Nouhaila Benzina. Not only does this show the company’s commitment to inclusivity, but also authenticity and realism.
Benzina made headlines during the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand by becoming the first player to wear a hijab in a World Cup match. Of course, female players have been wearing religious headscarves at club level, but this was the first time it was shown on such a global scale.
The moment has been celebrated in FIFA 23, with Benzina’s avatar getting a makeover in Title Update 16, with the hijab added to her virtual likeness. This can be found in the Women’s World Cup Mode DLC, which came to the main title at the end of June. If you want to celebrate further, you can head to the Lead Your Country experience and choose to play as Nouhaila Benzina to try and help Morocco win the World Cup!
However, things weren’t all plain sailing for EA, with a glitch reported upon the release of Title Update 16. As well as receiving the new content overview each time players accessed the main menu, Benzina had disappeared from the game! You could no longer select her to be part of the Morocco World Cup squad, which meant you couldn’t recreate history with her appearance against South Korea! Thankfully, this was soon fixed, so you can now hit the field with Benzina.
The commitment to realism, inclusivity, and authenticity now shows good signs of what to expect in EA Sports FC 24, with the release date for the new game growing ever closer! We can’t wait to find out all the new details over the next few weeks.
