On 30 January 2017, Álvarez received his first call up to Mexico's senior squad for a friendly against Iceland. He made his senior debut on 8 February against Iceland, replacing Jesús Molina in the 60th minute. Along with Alejandro Mayorga, Álvarez was cited to be a supporting practice squad player with the Confederations Cup team. He was called up to the Gold Cup, making him the youngest player on the squad. The roster was largely composed of alternate players, as the primary squad was in Russia competing in the Confederations Cup. On 17 July, in the last game of the group stage against Curaçao, Álvarez scored his first goal for the national team in their 2–0 win, becoming the youngest Mexican player to score a goal in a Gold Cup tournament at 19 years old.