at the 2015 copa américa, held in chile, medel scored during a 5–0 win against bolivia which ensured that "la roja" would progress to the knockout stage as group a winners. in the semi-final against peru, he scored an own goal from luis advíncula's cross to equalise, but chile advanced to the final winning 2–1. in the final against argentina, medel played as a starter and helped the team to win the trophy on penalty kicks, after the regular time ended in a goalless draw. medel became the fourth most capped player with 80 matches, equaling his defence partner gonzalo jara. that was medel's first major trophy with chile. for his performances he was named in the team of the tournament.