LIVE: Moroccan star to create football history at WC

When Nouhaila Benzina steps onto the tract for Morocco's archetypal lucifer of the Women's World Cup against Germany, she volition marque past — and not conscionable arsenic a subordinate for the archetypal Arab oregon North African federation ever successful the tournament.

The 25-year-old defender volition beryllium the archetypal subordinate to deterioration the Islamic headscarf astatine the senior-level Women's World Cup. She and the Atlas Lionesses look two-time World Cup champions Germany successful Melbourne, Australia, connected Monday.

"Girls volition look astatine Benzina (and think) 'That could beryllium me,'" said Assmaah Helal, a co-founder of the Muslim Women successful Sports Network said of the hijab. "Also the policymakers, the decision-makers, the administrators volition say, 'We request to bash much successful our state to make these accepting and unfastened and inclusive spaces for women and girls to enactment successful the game.'"

Benzina, who plays nonrecreational nine shot for the Association's Sports of Forces Armed Royal – the eight-time defending champions successful Morocco's apical women's league – hasn't yet been made disposable to talk to reporters present astatine the Women's World Cup. In caller weeks, she has shared societal media posts from others astir the history-making quality of her World Cup appearance.

"We are honoured to beryllium the archetypal Arab state to instrumentality portion successful the Women's World Cup," Morocco skipper Ghizlane Chebbak said connected Sunday, "and we consciousness that we person to enarthrosis a large work to springiness a bully image, to amusement the achievements the Moroccan squad has made."

Had Morocco qualified for the Women's World Cup a decennary ago, a subordinate who wanted to deterioration the hijab during a crippled mightiness person been forced to take betwixt that and representing her country.

In 2007, a referee barred an 11-year-old Canadian miss from wearing a hijab during a nine match. When the contented reached FIFA, the sport's planetary governing assemblage banned caput coverings successful competitions it sanctioned, but for coverings that exposed the neck.

FIFA cited "health and safety" concerns, immoderate related to imaginable choking, with regulations forbidding "equipment that is unsafe to himself oregon different player."

"That truly sent a beardown connection to Muslim women, peculiarly those who deterioration hijabs, (that) we don't belong," said Helal, an Australia-based operations manager of Creating Chances and Football United.

Helal was among the societal activists, Muslim athletes, and authorities and shot officials who worked to overturn the ban.

In 2012, FIFA granted the Asian Football Confederation a two-year proceedings play during which players would beryllium allowed to deterioration caput coverings astatine planetary competitions. No senior-level World Cups, men's oregon women's, were scheduled during the proceedings period.

In 2014, FIFA lifted its prohibition connected caput coverings. Two years later, the under-17 Women's World Cup successful Jordan marked the archetypal clip Muslim players wore headscarves during an planetary FIFA event.

Maryan Hagi-Hashi, a Melbourne nonmigratory who attended Morocco's nationalist signifier league past week, said she is supporting the Atlas Lionesses alongside tourney co-host Australia. She appreciates the practice that the Moroccan squad and Benzina provide, she said.

"There's a substance of (Muslim) women that deterioration hijab and don't deterioration a hijab," Hagi-Hashi said. "I deliberation the satellite has realized determination is diversity."

Helal said that since the prohibition was lifted, she has seen an summation successful Muslim girls and women playing soccer, pursuing coaching pathways and starring their ain shot clubs.

"I deliberation it's cardinal to recognize that the hijab is an indispensable portion of a Muslim woman, should she take to deterioration it," Helal said. "It's really portion of our identities."