The match took place on an empty section of the motorway between Prestwich and Whitefield in Greater Manchester.
As bored commuters got out of their cars and vans to stretch their legs, some used jumpers for goalposts on the closed clockwise carriage at junction 17.
Drivers were stuck in queues for more than two hours, but it is not clear if the game went on longer than the usual 90 minutes, or indeed ended in penalties.
Freelance photographer Lawrence Purcell told Sky News Online: "There was traffic everywhere so I decided to go round the back on one of the side bridges and stumbled across a number of drivers playing football.
"They'd obviously got bored in the jam and crossed over to the empty carriageway. There were about ten blokes having a game of five-a-side.
"It was quite a sight - I've been a freelance photographer for many years, but have never seen a game of motorway football before."
Thursday evening's traffic chaos started after police closed off both sections of the M60 when a man threatened to jump off a bridge.
Trained negotiators were called to the scene as queues stretched as far as the M61 near Bolton as well as to Eccles and Rochdale.
The drama came to an end when the man fled the scene at about 8pm, according to reports.
Officers apprehended him shortly afterwards and the M60 reopened.
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