There is no disputing, the aura is back.
Some time between the moment it kicked off its World Cup with an unremarkable 2-1 victory over North Korea (the worst team in the 2010 tournament) and the 3-0 thrashing of Chile in the round of 16, much of the soccer world has come to the conclusion Brazil is, once again, a lock to win it all.
That tends to be the consensus at some point at nearly every mundial, and five times in the past, it has proven to be correct.
As advertised, this group is more defensive and more pragmatic than the Brazilian sides of legend, having taken on the no-nonsense personality of coach Dunga. They are tough, they are a little bit nasty, they are more counter-punchers than usual, but there are still those extraordinary moments of skill like Robinho's goal in the Chile match, a rocket from just outside the area. (Those who watched him flail around aimlessly at Manchester City on a big, fat contract before being loaned to Santos will wonder which version is the imposter.)
On what appears to be the easier side of the draw, Brazil are favoured to beat the Dutch on Friday, and would be an even heavier favourite over either Uruguay or Ghana in the semi-finals.
In qualifying for this tournament, Brazil beat the Uruguayans 2-1 at home, and then thumped them 4-0 in Montevideo.
As for Ghana, some may remember a round of 16 match between the two four years ago in Dortmund, Germany. It was the last great game Ronaldo played for his country, a fabulously entertaining 3-0 victory over a young Ghanaian side that - and here is the cautionary tale - convinced just about everyone Brazil were poised to retain the Cup they had won four years previously in Japan.
To that point in Germany, Brazil had won four matches, lost none, and outscored its opposition 10-1. In other words, it looked better there than it has here. Then, in the quarter-finals, the underdog French shut Brazil down and beat it 1-0 behind Zinédine Zidane, and the Brazilians went home minus the Jules Rimet Trophy so many had already conceded to them.
So let's play devil's advocate here.
In the so-called Group of Death, which turned out to be no such thing, Brazil weren't overwhelmingly impressive in any of its three matches - and against the best opponent, Portugal, in a pretty much meaningless scoreless draw, it was stymied and frustrated to the point of lashing out before both sides opted to stop trying in the second half.
Against Chile, Brazil did indeed look like world-beaters - but styles can make matches, and the Chileans' attacking philosophy was there to be exploited.
This has been a tournament in which youth has shone, but Brazil is relatively old, with nine players over 30, and the youngest 23-year-old Ramires, who is suspended for the Netherlands match. They are beaten up, especially in the midfield, with Elano gone for this match, and perhaps gone for the tournament, and both Felipe Melo and Julio Baptista doubtful against Holland.
Portugal provided half of the blueprint for how Brazil can be had here: Make its players claustrophobic in the midfield, stand up to them physically, don't overcommit to the attack, frustrate them, anger them, break down the discipline that had been instilled in them by Dunga.
The other half - take your chances when you get them, convert early, get a lead and make the Brazilians commit to the attack, where they can be countered - is far easier said than done, given the quality of their defenders, and of 'keeper Julio Cesar.
And if you fall behind, it's pretty much lights out.
It takes a leap of faith to see the Dutch doing what's necessary. Though they've won every match here, you can poke a hole in pretty much every facet of their game, aside from the one-two attacking punch of Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder.
But a Brazil loss is hardly impossible - not Friday, not in the semi-final, and absolutely not in the final, if it gets that far. Where a different quality of danger would surely await.