Morocco's Nouhaila Benzina has made history at the FIFA Women’s World Cup jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
On Sunday, the 25-year-old defender became the first player to wear hijab at the senior-level Women’s World Cup.
She was an unused substitute on Monday, when the Atlas Lionesses played against two-time World Cup champions Germany in Melbourne, Australia.
The wearing of head covers for religious purposes was first authorised by FIFA in 2014.
“Girls will look at Benzina (and think) ‘that could be me'," Assmaah Helal, a co-founder of the Muslim Women in Sports Network, said of the hijab.
“Also the policymakers, the decision-makers, the administrators will say, ‘We need to do more in our country to create these open and inclusive spaces for women and girls to participate in the game'."
Ahead of the match against Germany, Morocco Head Coach Reynald Pedros said his squad was looking forward to the challenge.
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Morocco lost 6-0 in the Monday encounter against Germany, but redeemed themselves on Sunday when they stunned South Korea 1-0.
Benzina featured in the fixture, making her the first player in history to wear hijab during a World Cup match.
The Atlas Lionesses secured their World Cup spot by finishing as runners-up at the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations.
Morocco will play against Colombia in their final group stage match on Thursday, hoping to pull through an unlikely win against a team that stunned Germany 2-1 on Sunday.
Colombia tops Group H with six points, while Germany and Morocco have three points each.
Germany are, however, ahead of Morocco on goal difference, and will play their final group stage match against South Korea, who are bottom of the table with zero points.
