Kessel made his debut in senior international competition in 2006, when he competed at the 2006 IIHF World Championship in Riga.
In seven games, he scored one goal and one assist as the U.S. placed seventh.

Following his rookie year with Boston, Kessel competed at the 2007 IIHF World Championship in Moscow, where the U.S. finished fifth.
He improved on his performance at the previous World Championship, scoring two goals and five assists in seven games.

Kessel competed at the World Championship for the third time in the 2008 edition held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Quebec City.
Again, however, the U.S. underwhelmed, finishing in sixth place.
On a personal level, Kessel finished ninth overall in points with ten (six goals and four assists) in seven games.

In 2010, Kessel played for Team USA at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
The U.S. finished second, winning the silver medal.
In six games, Kessel had a goal and an assist.

On January 1, 2014, after the completion of the 2014 Winter Classic, Kessel was announced as a member of the 2014 Olympic Team and went on to compete at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
 Although the US finished out of the medals, Kessel enjoyed individual success, scoring 5 goals and 3 assists in 6 games, leading the tournament in points (8), being named as best forward, and being named to the All-Star Team.

Despite his successful Stanley Cup winning campaign with the Pittsburgh Penguins where he scored 10 goals and 22 points in the playoffs, he was left off the American roster of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
Following the elimination of Team USA after a 4–2 loss to Team Canada, Kessel tweeted "Just sitting around the house tonight w my dog.
Felt like I should be doing something important, but couldn't put my finger on it."
This was interpreted by several Team USA players and personnel, including Dean Lombardi, John Tortorella, David Backes, Zach Parise, and Derek Stepan as Kessel jabbing following his snub.
Kessel stated that his comments were not directed at anyone, and that he didn't mean any disrespect towards anyone.
Kessel made his debut in senior international competition in 2006, when he competed at the 2006 IIHF World Championship in Riga. In seven games, he scored one goal and one assist as the U.S. placed seventh.
Following his rookie year with Boston, Kessel competed at the 2007 IIHF World Championship in Moscow, where the U.S. finished fifth. He improved on his performance at the previous World Championship, scoring two goals and five assists in seven games.
Kessel competed at the World Championship for the third time in the 2008 edition held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Quebec City. Again, however, the U.S. underwhelmed, finishing in sixth place. On a personal level, Kessel finished ninth overall in points with ten (six goals and four assists) in seven games.
In 2010, Kessel played for Team USA at the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The U.S. finished second, winning the silver medal. In six games, Kessel had a goal and an assist.
On January 1, 2014, after the completion of the 2014 Winter Classic, Kessel was announced as a member of the 2014 Olympic Team and went on to compete at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  Although the US finished out of the medals, Kessel enjoyed individual success, scoring 5 goals and 3 assists in 6 games, leading the tournament in points (8), being named as best forward, and being named to the All-Star Team.
Despite his successful Stanley Cup winning campaign with the Pittsburgh Penguins where he scored 10 goals and 22 points in the playoffs, he was left off the American roster of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Following the elimination of Team USA after a 4–2 loss to Team Canada, Kessel tweeted "Just sitting around the house tonight w my dog. Felt like I should be doing something important, but couldn't put my finger on it." This was interpreted by several Team USA players and personnel, including Dean Lombardi, John Tortorella, David Backes, Zach Parise, and Derek Stepan as Kessel jabbing following his snub. Kessel stated that his comments were not directed at anyone, and that he didn't mean any disrespect towards anyone.
Phil Kessel