Iconic darts figure announces retirement at 2026 World Championship as PDC dealt blow

An iconic darts referee has announced that he will retire after next year's in a bitter blow to the . George Noble is among the sport's most recognisable voices, having worked at many of the biggest tournaments over the last three decades. However, he is nearing the end of his distinguished career and has confirmed his retirement plans.

Noble has already made his European Tour farewell, waving goodbye at the Dutch Darts Championship, but his final PDC appearance will come on the biggest stage of all. He will officiate the last tournament of his career at Alexandra Palace when tries to defend his world title. The 56-year-old confirmed the news on Viaplay over the weekend.

He will become the latest high-profile referee to leave the PDC in recent years, after Russ Bray and Paul Hinks. The likes of Kirk Bevins, Huw Ware and Owen Binks will continue in their roles but are relatively young despite boasting plenty of experience.

After confirming his plans to retire, Noble also weighed in on the future of refereeing as he said: "I think it's time we had the first female referee at a major tournament... and maybe even the first non-British one, too."

Although he will be stepping back from the highest level, Noble is unlikely to walk away from the sport altogether. Earlier this year, he showed his love for the game by competing in the pairs event at the Dutch Open as a player.

Noble, who is nicknamed The Puppy, started his career in 1992 when he began refereeing at his local club. Two years later, he made his first appearance on the big stage at Lakeside, calling every final there between 1995 and 2007.

He joined the PDC in 2009 and has remained on the circuit ever since. That same year, he had the honour of calling the first nine-darter at the World Darts Championship when Raymond van Barneveld struck perfection against Jelle Klaasen.

Reflecting on his career in an interview with in 2018, Noble said: "A quarter of a century, I didn't realise it was that long! I was young back then and I had a different nickname as well. I won't get into that.

"When you do your first World Championship final, you think it's great, it's what you want to do. But then you do another one and another one. I wouldn't say the novelty wears off, but it's not as daunting as it was the first time.

"It becomes more regular, not run-of-the-mill because it's the world final, but it's a big achievement to have done that many world finals."

Noble has other passions away from darts, which he will be able to follow when he steps back from the professional circuit. He is a devoted Millwall fan and will be hoping to get to more games at The Den next year.