A former Brazil international, Maicon made his debut in 2003 and represented his nation on 76 occasions, scoring seven goals. With Brazil, he won a runners-up medal at the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and took part in three Copa América tournaments (winning the competition in 2004 and 2007) and two FIFA World Cups (finishing in fourth-place in 2014 on home soil). He was also a member of the Brazilian teams that won consecutive FIFA Confederations Cup titles in 2005 and 2009.