Hildebrand was selected for three consecutive tournaments for Germany, Euro 2004, 2005 Confederations Cup and 2006 World Cup, as Germany's third-choice goalkeeper behind Jens Lehmann and Oliver Kahn. He played his first competitive international at the 2005 Confederations Cup against Argentina (final score 2–2). He was the only member of the 2006 World Cup squad who did not play at the tournament, as Germany came third on home soil.