 Canales was selected to the 2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia, playing in four out of five games for the national team (three starts) in an eventual penalty shootout quarterfinal exit.He featured regularly in the 2013 European Championship Under-21 qualification where he netted three times, including a brace against Georgia; despite missing the playoff game with Denmark he was named in the squad for the finals in Israel, but withdrew from the tournament after picking an injury in the first group match against Russia –Spain went on to win the trophy.On 15 March 2019, Canales was called up by the full side manager Luis Enrique for two UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying matches against Norway and Malta.