Scotland, 20th in the March 2019 FIFA World Rankings, qualified for their first World Cup after finishing top of UEFA Group 2 ahead of Switzerland and Poland. At the draw for the finals held in France, they were placed in Group D alongside rivals England (ranked 3rd in the world, who had beaten an under-strength Scottish team 6–0 at the 2017 European Championship), Japan (ranked 7th, who won the tournament in 2011 and reached the final in 2015), and Argentina (ranked 37th, who had lost all six of their previous World Cup finals matches).