Manchester United's Mata was part of the victorious Spain teams at the 2010 World Cup and EURO 2012 but earned the most recent of his 41 caps in a friendly back in November 2016.
"I was disappointed not to go (to the World Cup)," he told ESPN. "But then after that, I was hoping for them to win...
"Now, things have changed. We have a new manager again, Luis Enrique... I'm again excited about the possibility of coming back. I obviously want to come back and try to play as many games as I can with the national team."
The 30-year-old believes the emergence of a new generation along with the presence of experienced players will propel Spain back to the top of world football in the future.
"I'm really excited about it and I think the future, it can be still bright for Spain, because we have young players coming that, as I said, they have the level to compete," he added.
"We have some senior players that we have been there for some years and we have the experience so I think it's a good mix and hopefully it can be a good future for Spanish football."
Mata is one of few senior United players currently participating in the club's pre-season tour of the United States, where manager Jose Mourinho's team will face AC Milan in the International Champions Cup on Thursday.
