Azpilicueta helped the Spain under-19 team win the UEFA European Championship. Shortly after he moved to the under-21s, being picked for the 2009 European Championships in Sweden where he started three matches in an eventual group stage exit. On 11 May 2010, 20-year-old Azpilicueta was named by senior side manager Vicente del Bosque in a provisional list of 30 players, in view of the forthcoming edition of the FIFA World Cup. Eventually, he did not make the final cut. A year later, after recovering from a long-term injury, he went to the European Under-21 Championship in Denmark, and won the tournament. Azpilicueta was picked for Spain's squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics, after missing out on selection for the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament. Due to the presence of Álvaro Domínguez, he only appeared in the last group match, a 0–0 draw with Morocco at Old Trafford, as the national team exited in the group stage. Senior On 1 February 2013, Azpilicueta was named in the squad for the upcoming international friendly against Uruguay. The manager said of the selection: 'Azpilicueta is playing many games for Chelsea. He has a lot of energy, defends well and is always willing to attack. We have a lot of hope for him. He made his debut five days later, playing the full 90 minutes in the 3–1 win in Doha, Qatar; after the match, he said that it was his "dream to play for Spain" at the senior level. Azpilicueta was selected to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup tournament held in Brazil: he started in the second group game against Tahiti which Spain won 10–0 in a record for the largest margin of victory in the competition, and replaced Álvaro Arbeloa at half-time in the final against the hosts, in an eventual 3–0 loss. In June 2014, Azpilicueta was selected to represent Spain in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He was the starting right-back during the first two fixtures, against the Netherlands and Chile, as the nation was eliminated at the group stage. Azpilicueta was also included in the 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, as well as the 24-man squad for UEFA Euro 2020. At the latter, he scored his first senior international goal, his team's second of a 5–3 win against Croatia in the round of 16. Azpilicueta captained Spain for the first time in a 2022 FIFA World