Belfast man Frampton, 28, outpointed Scott Quigg on Saturday to add the WBA world title to his IBF belt.
On Wednesday, WBA bosses said that their former champion Rigondeaux, 35, must be Frampton's next opponent.
Frampton's manager Barry McGuigan has consistently ruled out the Cuban as a possible opponent for his fighter.
"He's amazing on the back foot but he's negative," McGuigan said of Rigondeaux, who fights Briton Jazza Dickens in Liverpool on 12 March.
"What do we gain by fighting him?"
McGuigan's view is that Rigondeaux, who was stripped of both the WBO and WBA belts last year for inactivity, brings little to the table in terms of television or fan appeal.
After Rigondeaux was stripped of the title, the world governing body promoted Quigg from interim WBA super-bantamweight belt holder to champion.
However, the WBA have now said that unbeaten Rigondeaux's "impressive record and accomplishments" mean that he must be Frampton's next opponent.
The WBA said it was "honoured" to have Frampton as its champion, adding: "We congratulate him on a performance that was as intelligent as it was effective."
In spite of the WBA's directive, it is far from certain that Frampton will agree to the Rigondeaux fight, so there appears a strong possibility that the Northern Irishman may give up the WBA belt.
After Frampton's win on Saturday, McGuigan said that a contest with Mexico's WBA featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz was an "obvious fight".
Rigondeaux has won all 16 of his professional bouts.

Newcastle-based Out of the Kitchen had denied the unauthorised sale of nitrous oxide, also known as "laughing gas", through its Toon Whip brand.
Although it is used legally in the catering industry, it can be fatal when used as a drug.
The case followed an undercover investigation by the BBC in which a reporter was sold two canisters.
Toon Whip advertised a "whipped cream delivery service", but the reporter was given instructions by the firm's staff on how to inhale the gas using a balloon.
Newcastle Magistrates' Court heard Out of the Kitchen Limited made a profit of £40,000 in 2015-16, with £10,000 of that figure coming from Toon Whip.
The fine must be paid within 14 days.
Directors Jonathan Lawrence, 30, of Stamford, and David Jenkins, 29, of Newcastle, are also charged with the unauthorised sale of nitrous oxide.
They have entered not guilty pleas.
The case against them was adjourned until 23 January.

24 July 2017 Last updated at 14:56 BST
He's been racing sharks... Yes, you read that right.
Michael Phelps had a special shark suit to help him compete against the ocean predator.
And don't worry - he actually wasn't in the water with them, it was done with special effects.
Watch this to see who was the fastest...
Pictures courtesy of Discovery
Carl Frampton must fight Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux by 27 July to avoid being stripped of one of his two world super-bantamweight titles.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
A catering firm has been fined £7,620 for selling gas used as a recreational drug.
[NEXT_CONCEPT]
Olympic superhero Michael Phelps is one of the fastest swimmers on Earth, but he's been taking up a pretty weird challenge.