Ochoa was included in the roster to participate at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, but saw no playing time as the third-choice goalkeeper. He was also called up for the 2005 Gold Cup but received no playing time. On 14 December 2005, at age 20, Ochoa made his debut for the Mexico national team in a friendly match against Hungary, which Mexico won 2–0. Ochoa was called-up by coach Ricardo La Volpe for the 2006 FIFA World Cup as the third-choice goalkeeper.