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The South AfricaSports Minister Tokozile Xasa has pressurized his Football Association SAFA to switch backing from Morocco's bid for the 2026 World Cup to the United 2026 bid.
This was afterSAFA President Danny Jordaan had announced that South Africa's vote in the 2026 race would go to Morocco on their football website.
Xasa, however, warned SAFA not to "go against the mandate of the country" by supporting the Moroccan bid.
South Africa and Morocco were involved in a diplomatic row in 2004 and tensions between the two countries have still not fully resolved.
Morocco withdrew its ambassador from Pretoria in 2004 when South Africa recognised the independence of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, also known as Western Sahara.
The current decision comes after both Morocco 2026 and United 2026 presented their case at the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations Congress in Johannesburg.
The host of the 2026 World Cup is due to be chosen at the FIFA Congress in Moscow on June 13, the day before this year's tournament begins in Russia.
A FIFA Evaluation Task Force has the power to exclude either candidate if they do not meet their requirements.
Morocco's bid was at the centre of an ethics investigation into FIFA secretary general Fatma Samoura over an alleged undeclared family link with former Senegal international El Hadji Diouf.
Samoura was quickly cleared of any wrongdoing into the claim she is related to Diouf, a Morocco 2026 ambassador.
Morocco 2026 officials have also publicly clashed with FIFA amid suggestions President Gianni Infantino is trying to exclude the country from the race as he prefers the United 2026 bid
