FC Machida Zelvia will play top flight football for the first time in 2024. The 34-year-old club sitting atop the Meiji Yasuda J2 League clinched a top two finish, which will see them earn promotion to J1 for the first time ever.

Zelvia have been absolutely marvelous this season. They started with six wins and a draw in their first seven matches to leap to the top of the table and they have not relinquished the spot since.

No team in J2 has scored more goals than Zelvia, led by Erik’s 18 tallies. They also feature an excellent defense, which ranks third in the league.

It has been a long build for Zelvia, which was playing in the JFL just 10 years ago. They earned promotion to J2 in 2016 and have been in the second division ever since, with a club best finish of fourth place in 2018.

Now, Zelvia are making the jump to J1 and they could be a very dangerous team in their first top flight season come 2024. Before they turn their eyes to J1, though, Zelvia still have three matches to play this season and a J2 title to clinch as they look to wrap up a historic year in Machida.