V-Varen Nagasaki earned their first-ever promotion to the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League on Saturday night with a 3-1 win over Kamatamare Sanuki.

Goals from Daichi Inui, Yusuke Maeda, and Hijiri Onaga pushed the Transcosmos Stadium residents to 77 points on the season, clinching second place behind J2 champions Shonan Bellmare.

V-Varen’s path to the J1 began in the Kyushu League in 2005, reaching the JFL after four seasons and went on to win Japan’s top amateur league after another four campaigns. 

Their J2 debut came in 2013, when they made a splash by qualifying for that year’s J1 Promotion Playoff.

Saturday’s results mean that Avispa Fukuoka and Nagoya Grampus will qualify for this year’s Promotion Playoff, which will take place following the conclusion of the J2 season.