Despite a spirited effort, the Poles were overcome by the Scots in their final group-stage match of the 2024/2025 Nations League, losing their spot in the competition's top tier.
John McGinn opened the scoring for Scotland just three minutes into the game at Warsaw's National Stadium.
Kamil Piątkowski brought Poland level with a spectacular long-range strike in the 59th minute.
However, a stoppage-time header by Andy Robertson sealed Scotland's victory, relegating Poland to League B and sending the Scots to the Nations League relegation playoffs.
Poland needed at least a draw to avoid automatic relegation and keep their hopes alive for staying in the top tier.
However, the team, led by captain Piotr Zieliński, failed to rally in front of the home crowd, compounding their woes after a crushing 1-5 loss to Portugal in their previous Nations League fixture.
Ranked 31st globally by football's governing body FIFA, Poland finished last in Group A1 with just four points from six matches.
Scotland, ranked 51st, will fight to retain their place in the top tier through playoffs in March.
Meanwhile, Portugal and Croatia have advanced to the quarterfinals.
The Nations League is the European football governing body UEFA’s newest national-team competition that is now in its fourth edition.
Portugal won the first edition of the Nations League in 2019, while France won the 2020/2021 UEFA Nations League, and Spain triumphed in the 2022/2023 edition.
Poland boss Michał Probierz in September described this season's Nations League as a valuable opportunity to test his team against top European opponents ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
In March, Poland will embark on a qualifying campaign for the World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States in 2026.
The draw for the World Cup qualifying groups is scheduled to take place on December 13 in Zurich, Switzerland.
(gs)
Source: IAR, PAP