<PAGE>
 
    As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 28, 1998
                                         Registration No. 333-__________
________________________________________________________________________________


                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8
            REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                             WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


               Delaware                                          38-1490038
     (State or other jurisdiction                             (I.R.S. Employer
   of incorporation or organization)                         Identification No.)
 
 
            2000 North M-63                                      49022-2962
        Benton Harbor, Michigan                                  (Zip Code)
(Address of principal executive offices)



                             WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
                     1998 OMNIBUS STOCK AND INCENTIVE PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

                             Robert T. Kenagy, Esq.
                    Associate General Counsel and Secretary
                             Whirlpool Corporation
                         Law Department, Mail Drop 2200
                                2000 North M-63
                       Benton Harbor, Michigan 49022-2692
                    (Name and address of agent for service)

                                  616-923-3910
         (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)


                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
                                        
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Proposed Maximum         
                                                                 Proposed Maximum         Aggregate          Amount of
          Title of Securities to               Amount to be        Offering Price          Offering        Registration
              be Registered                     Registered           Per Share              Price               Fee
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<S>                                         <C>                  <C>                  <C>                  <C>
Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share     4,000,000 shares         $51.750(1)        $207,000,000(1)      $57,546.00(1)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
</TABLE>

Notes:
     1.  Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(h) based on an assumed price of $51.750
per share, which represents the average of the high and low prices of such
securities reported on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape on
October 22, 1998.
<PAGE>
 
                                    PART I

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

     Information required by Part I to be contained in the Section 10(a)
prospectus is omitted from this Registration Statement in accordance with Rule
428 under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act") and the Note to Part
I of Form S-8.

                                    PART II

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference.
------   --------------------------------------- 

     The documents listed below are hereby incorporated by reference into this
Registration Statement:

1.  The Annual Report on Form 10-K of Whirlpool Corporation (the "Company") for
    the fiscal year ended December 31, 1997.
 
2.  The description of the common stock of the Company which is contained in its
    Form 8-K dated April 23, 1996.
 
3.  All reports and other documents subsequently filed (since December 31, 1997)
    by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the
    Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"), prior to the filing of
    a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered
    hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining
    unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a
    part hereof from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.

     Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded
for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement
contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is
incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or
supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall
not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this
Registration Statement.

Item 4.  Description of Securities.
------   ------------------------- 

                                Not Applicable

Item 5.  Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.
------   -------------------------------------- 

                                Not Applicable

Item 6.  Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
------   ----------------------------------------- 

     The Delaware General Corporation Law and the Certificate of Incorporation
of the Company provide for the indemnification of any person who was or is made
a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is involved in any action,
suit, or proceeding by reason of the fact that such individual is or was a
director or officer of the Company or serves or served another enterprise
(including the plan) at the request of the Company against all expense,
liability, and loss (including attorney's fees, judgments, fines, Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA") excise taxes or penalties, and
amounts paid or to be paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered in
connection therewith, to the fullest extent
<PAGE>
 
authorized by the Delaware General Corporation Law, and also generally provides
for mandatory advancement by the Company of defense-related expenses.

     Both the Delaware General Corporation Law and the Certificate of
Incorporation of the Company provide that the Company may maintain insurance to
cover losses incurred pursuant to liability of directors and officers of the
Company. The Company has obtained directors' and officers' insurance coverage,
which insurance covers certain liabilities of directors and officers of the
Company arising under the Securities Act.

Item 7.  Exemption from Registration Claimed.
------   ----------------------------------- 

                                Not Applicable

Item 8.  Exhibits.
------   -------- 

  Exhibit No.
  -----------

     4(a)      Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Whirlpool Corporation
               (filed as Exhibit 3(i) to Whirlpool Corporation's Annual Report
               on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1993,
               Commission File No. 1-3932, and incorporated herein by
               reference.)

     4(b)      By-laws of the Company, as amended and restated February 17, 1998
               (filed as Exhibit 3(ii) to Whirlpool Corporation's Annual Report
               on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1997 and
               incorporated herein by reference.)

     4(c)      Whirlpool Corporation 1998 Omnibus Stock and Incentive Plan
               (filed as Exhibit A of Whirlpool Corporation's proxy statement
               for the Annual Meeting of stockholders held on April 28, 1998 and
               incorporated herein by reference.)

     4(d)      Rights Agreement, dated April 21, 1998, between Whirlpool
               Corporation and First Chicago Trust Company of New York,
               (incorporated by reference to the Registrant's Form 8-K filed on
               April 27, 1998.

     5         Opinion of Robert T. Kenagy, Esq. Re: legality

     23(a)     Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

     23(b)     Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers

     23(c)     Consent of Robert T. Kenagy (Included in Exhibit 5)

     24        Powers of Attorney


Item 9.  Undertakings.
------   ------------ 

     (a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes (1) to file, during any
period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to
this Registration Statement to include any material information with respect to
the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement
or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement; (2)
that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act,
each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration
statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
thereof; and (3) to remove
<PAGE>
 
from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities
being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

     (b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for the purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") (and, where applicable,
each filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section
15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the
securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time
shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

     (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities
Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore,
unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such
liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or
paid by a director, officer, or controlling person of the Registrant in the
successful defense or any action, suit, or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer, or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.
<PAGE>
 
                                  SIGNATURES

The Registrant.
---------------

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Benton Harbor, State of Michigan, on October 28,
1998.

                                  WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
    
    
    
                                  By: /s/ Daniel F. Hopp
                                    -------------------------
                                          Daniel F. Hopp
                                          Senior Vice President
                                          Corporate Affairs and
                                          General Counsel
<PAGE>
 
                                  SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities and on the date indicated.

Signature                     Title                              Date
---------                     -----                              ----

David. R. Whitwam*        Director, Chairman of the Board
                          and Chief Executive Officer

William D. Marohn*        Director and Vice Chairman

Robert A. Burnett*        Director

Herman Cain*              Director

Gary T. DiCamillo*        Director

H. Miguel Etchenique*     Director

Allan D. Gilmour*         Director

Kathleen J. Hempel*       Director

Philip L. Smith*          Director

Paul G. Stern*            Director

Janice D. Stoney*         Director

Ralph F. Hake*            Senior Executive Vice President
                          and Chief Financial Officer
                          (Principal Financial Officer)

Mark Brown*               Vice President and Controller
                          (Principal Accounting Officer)


*By:  /s/ Daniel F. Hopp     Attorney in Fact                October 28, 1998
     ----------------------------------------                      
          Daniel F. Hopp
<PAGE>
 
                                 EXHIBIT INDEX
                                 -------------


Exhibit             Description
Number              of Document
------              -----------

4(a)      Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Whirlpool
          Corporation (filed as Exhibit 3(i) to Whirlpool
          Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for
          the fiscal year ended December 31, 1993,
          Commission File No. 1-3932, and incorporated
          herein by reference.)

4(b)      By-laws of the Company, as amended and restated
          February 17, 1998 (filed as Exhibit 3(ii) to Whirlpool
          Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
          fiscal year ended December 31, 1997, Commission
          File No. 1-3932, and incorporated herein by reference.)

4(c)      Whirlpool Corporation 1998 Omnibus Stock and Incentive
          Plan (filed as Exhibit A of Whirlpool Corporation's proxy
          Statement for the Annual Meeting of stockholders held on
          April 28, 1998, Commission File No. 1-3932, and
          incorporated herein by reference.)

4(d)      Rights Agreement, dated April 21, 1998, between Whirlpool
          Corporation and First Chicago Trust Company of New York,
          (filed on the Registrant's Form 8-K filed on April 27, 1998,
          Commission File No. 1-3932, and incorporated herein by
          reference).

5         Opinion of Robert T. Kenagy, Esq. Re: legality

23(a)     Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

23(b)     Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers

23(c)     Consent of Robert T. Kenagy (Included in Exhibit 5)

24        Powers of Attorney
[{"type": "S-8", "sequence": "1", "description": "FORM S-8", "secsgml_size_bytes": 15120}]
{"company-data": {"conformed-name": "WHIRLPOOL CORP /DE/", "cik": "0000106640", "assigned-sic": "3630", "irs-number": "381490038", "state-of-incorporation": "DE", "fiscal-year-end": "1231"}, "filing-values": {"form-type": "S-8", "act": "33", "file-number": "333-66211", "film-number": "98731681"}, "business-address": {"street1": "WHIRLPOOL CNTR 2000 M 63", "street2": "C/O CORPORATE SECRETARY", "city": "BENTON HARBOR", "state": "MI", "zip": "49022-2692", "phone": "6169235000"}, "mail-address": {"street1": "WHIRLPOOL CTR 2000 M 63", "street2": "C/O CORPORATE SECRETARY", "city": "BENTON HARBOR", "state": "MI", "zip": "49022-2692"}, "former-company": {"former-conformed-name": "WHIRLPOOL SEEGER CORP", "date-changed": "19710824"}}
As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 28, 1998
                                         Registration No. 333-__________
________________________________________________________________________________

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM S-8
            REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

                             WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

               Delaware                                          38-1490038
     (State or other jurisdiction                             (I.R.S. Employer
   of incorporation or organization)                         Identification No.)
 
 
            2000 North M-63                                      49022-2962
        Benton Harbor, Michigan                                  (Zip Code)
(Address of principal executive offices)

                             WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
                     1998 OMNIBUS STOCK AND INCENTIVE PLAN
                            (Full title of the plan)

                             Robert T. Kenagy, Esq.
                    Associate General Counsel and Secretary
                             Whirlpool Corporation
                         Law Department, Mail Drop 2200
                                2000 North M-63
                       Benton Harbor, Michigan 49022-2692
                    (Name and address of agent for service)

                                  616-923-3910
         (Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

                        CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                      Proposed Maximum         
                                                                 Proposed Maximum         Aggregate          Amount of
          Title of Securities to               Amount to be        Offering Price          Offering        Registration
              be Registered                     Registered           Per Share              Price               Fee
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share     4,000,000 shares         $51.750(1)        $207,000,000(1)      $57,546.00(1)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
     1.  Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(h) based on an assumed price of $51.750
per share, which represents the average of the high and low prices of such
securities reported on the New York Stock Exchange Composite Tape on
October 22, 1998.
PART I

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

     Information required by Part I to be contained in the Section 10(a)
prospectus is omitted from this Registration Statement in accordance with Rule
428 under the Securities Act of 1933 (the "Securities Act") and the Note to Part
I of Form S-8.

                                    PART II

              INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Item 3.  Incorporation of Documents by Reference.
------   --------------------------------------- 

     The documents listed below are hereby incorporated by reference into this
Registration Statement:

1.  The Annual Report on Form 10-K of Whirlpool Corporation (the "Company") for
    the fiscal year ended December 31, 1997.
 
2.  The description of the common stock of the Company which is contained in its
    Form 8-K dated April 23, 1996.
 
3.  All reports and other documents subsequently filed (since December 31, 1997)
    by the Company pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the
    Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act"), prior to the filing of
    a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered
    hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining
    unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a
    part hereof from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.

     Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be
incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded
for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement
contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is
incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or
supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall
not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this
Registration Statement.

Item 4.  Description of Securities.
------   ------------------------- 

                                Not Applicable

Item 5.  Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.
------   -------------------------------------- 

                                Not Applicable

Item 6.  Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
------   ----------------------------------------- 

     The Delaware General Corporation Law and the Certificate of Incorporation
of the Company provide for the indemnification of any person who was or is made
a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is involved in any action,
suit, or proceeding by reason of the fact that such individual is or was a
director or officer of the Company or serves or served another enterprise
(including the plan) at the request of the Company against all expense,
liability, and loss (including attorney's fees, judgments, fines, Employee
Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 ("ERISA") excise taxes or penalties, and
amounts paid or to be paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered in
connection therewith, to the fullest extent
authorized by the Delaware General Corporation Law, and also generally provides
for mandatory advancement by the Company of defense-related expenses.

     Both the Delaware General Corporation Law and the Certificate of
Incorporation of the Company provide that the Company may maintain insurance to
cover losses incurred pursuant to liability of directors and officers of the
Company. The Company has obtained directors' and officers' insurance coverage,
which insurance covers certain liabilities of directors and officers of the
Company arising under the Securities Act.

Item 7.  Exemption from Registration Claimed.
------   ----------------------------------- 

                                Not Applicable

Item 8.  Exhibits.
------   -------- 

  Exhibit No.
  -----------

     4(a)      Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Whirlpool Corporation
               (filed as Exhibit 3(i) to Whirlpool Corporation's Annual Report
               on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1993,
               Commission File No. 1-3932, and incorporated herein by
               reference.)

     4(b)      By-laws of the Company, as amended and restated February 17, 1998
               (filed as Exhibit 3(ii) to Whirlpool Corporation's Annual Report
               on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 1997 and
               incorporated herein by reference.)

     4(c)      Whirlpool Corporation 1998 Omnibus Stock and Incentive Plan
               (filed as Exhibit A of Whirlpool Corporation's proxy statement
               for the Annual Meeting of stockholders held on April 28, 1998 and
               incorporated herein by reference.)

     4(d)      Rights Agreement, dated April 21, 1998, between Whirlpool
               Corporation and First Chicago Trust Company of New York,
               (incorporated by reference to the Registrant's Form 8-K filed on
               April 27, 1998.

     5         Opinion of Robert T. Kenagy, Esq. Re: legality

     23(a)     Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

     23(b)     Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers

     23(c)     Consent of Robert T. Kenagy (Included in Exhibit 5)

     24        Powers of Attorney

Item 9.  Undertakings.
------   ------------ 

     (a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes (1) to file, during any
period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to
this Registration Statement to include any material information with respect to
the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement
or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement; (2)
that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act,
each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration
statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such
securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering
thereof; and (3) to remove
from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities
being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

     (b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for the purposes of
determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the
Registrant's annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the "Exchange Act") (and, where applicable,
each filing of an employee benefit plan's annual report pursuant to Section
15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration
Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the
securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time
shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

     (c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities
Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the
Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant
has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is
against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore,
unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such
liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or
paid by a director, officer, or controlling person of the Registrant in the
successful defense or any action, suit, or proceeding) is asserted by such
director, officer, or controlling person in connection with the securities being
registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter
has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate
jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public
policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final
adjudication of such issue.
SIGNATURES

The Registrant.
---------------

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant
certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the
requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration
Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly
authorized, in the City of Benton Harbor, State of Michigan, on October 28,
1998.

                                  WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION
    
    
    
                                  By: /s/ Daniel F. Hopp
                                    -------------------------
                                          Daniel F. Hopp
                                          Senior Vice President
                                          Corporate Affairs and
                                          General Counsel
SIGNATURES

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the
capacities and on the date indicated.

Signature                     Title                              Date
---------                     -----                              ----

David. R. Whitwam*        Director, Chairman of the Board
                          and Chief Executive Officer

William D. Marohn*        Director and Vice Chairman

Robert A. Burnett*        Director

Herman Cain*              Director

Gary T. DiCamillo*        Director

H. Miguel Etchenique*     Director

Allan D. Gilmour*         Director

Kathleen J. Hempel*       Director

Philip L. Smith*          Director

Paul G. Stern*            Director

Janice D. Stoney*         Director

Ralph F. Hake*            Senior Executive Vice President
                          and Chief Financial Officer
                          (Principal Financial Officer)

Mark Brown*               Vice President and Controller
                          (Principal Accounting Officer)

*By:  /s/ Daniel F. Hopp     Attorney in Fact                October 28, 1998
     ----------------------------------------                      
          Daniel F. Hopp
EXHIBIT INDEX
                                 -------------

Exhibit             Description
Number              of Document
------              -----------

4(a)      Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Whirlpool
          Corporation (filed as Exhibit 3(i) to Whirlpool
          Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for
          the fiscal year ended December 31, 1993,
          Commission File No. 1-3932, and incorporated
          herein by reference.)

4(b)      By-laws of the Company, as amended and restated
          February 17, 1998 (filed as Exhibit 3(ii) to Whirlpool
          Corporation's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
          fiscal year ended December 31, 1997, Commission
          File No. 1-3932, and incorporated herein by reference.)

4(c)      Whirlpool Corporation 1998 Omnibus Stock and Incentive
          Plan (filed as Exhibit A of Whirlpool Corporation's proxy
          Statement for the Annual Meeting of stockholders held on
          April 28, 1998, Commission File No. 1-3932, and
          incorporated herein by reference.)

4(d)      Rights Agreement, dated April 21, 1998, between Whirlpool
          Corporation and First Chicago Trust Company of New York,
          (filed on the Registrant's Form 8-K filed on April 27, 1998,
          Commission File No. 1-3932, and incorporated herein by
          reference).

5         Opinion of Robert T. Kenagy, Esq. Re: legality

23(a)     Consent of Ernst & Young LLP

23(b)     Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers

23(c)     Consent of Robert T. Kenagy (Included in Exhibit 5)

24        Powers of Attorney